The first hot-air balloon to carry passengers was launched from the garden of Jean-Baptiste Réveillon on 12 September 1783. This Parisian entrepreneur rose from a humble background as an apprentice tradesman to dominate the French wallpaper industry, eventually earning the royal privilege to operate under the title of Manufacture Royale.
Early Business Ventures
Starting his professional life as a haberdasher and stationer, Réveillon pivoted toward wallpaper in 1753 by importing and installing English flock designs. During the Seven Years' War, he leveraged his wife's dowry to begin domestic production. Utilizing vibrant colors developed by Jean-Baptiste Pillement, his velvet papers found favor among the growing bourgeoisie, eventually allowing him to relocate his operations to the Faubourg Saint-Antoine in 1759.
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By 1765, his wealth permitted the purchase of La Folie Titon, a mansion formerly owned by Évrard Titon du Tillet, where he combined his manufacturing plant with a private residence. He further verticalized his supply chain in 1775 by opening a paper mill. His technical experimentation reached a milestone in 1782 when he discovered a new method for producing vellum paper, cementing his firm's reputation for quality.
The Flight of 1783
His expertise in paper manufacturing linked him to Etienne de Montgolfier. Réveillon contributed a specialized, colorful wallpaper cover for the historic 1783 hot-air balloon ascent. A subsequent balloon named Le Réveillon carried a duck, a rooster, and a sheep at Versailles. In October, two employees, André Giroud de Villette and Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier, participated in these early human flight experiments.
The 1789 Riot and Exile
A scholarly essay regarding economic deregulation and bread prices led to public disaster in 1789. Misunderstood by a frustrated populace as a call for wage suppression, his home and factory were destroyed by an angry mob, resulting in approximately 25 deaths. Réveillon fled the violence to the Bastille and eventually England. He later returned to France, where he leased his factory to Jacquemart & Bérnard before his death in 1811.
Fast facts
- Born: 1725, Paris
- Died: 1811, Paris
- Occupation: Wallpaper manufacturer
- Key Property: La Folie Titon
- Notable Achievement: Produced paper for the 1783 balloon flight
- Burial Site: Père Lachaise Cemetery
Questions readers ask
What caused the Reveillon riot?
The public misinterpreted Réveillon's economic proposal to lower bread prices as an argument to reduce workers' wages, sparking an violent attack on his factory.
Did Réveillon continue his wallpaper business after the French Revolution?
He fled to England during the riots, and upon his return, he leased the manufacture to Jacquemart & Bérnard, who operated it until 1840.
Achievements
- Holdings: Folie Titon