Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf
Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf (Wiesenbach, June 11, 1738 – Jouy-en-Josas, October 6, 1815) was a French industrialist of German origin. He became famous for founding the Royal Manufactory of printed cotton fabrics in Jouy-en-Josas, where the famous Toile de Jouy was produced.
Oberkampf was born in Wiesenbach, Germany,[1] into a family of dyers. He moved to Mulhouse for training and initially worked there as an engraver, later moving to Paris in October 1758 to work as a colorist.
Career
18th Century
From 1759 to the late 1770s
In 1759, Oberkampf proposed a partnership with the Swiss to establish a factory in Jouy-en-Josas for producing printed cotton fabrics using wooden blocks engraved with designs. The first fabrics were successfully printed in May 1760. In 1764, Oberkampf expanded the factory over a vast area of 18,000 m². The number of employees grew rapidly, reaching 900 workers by 1774.
In 1770, after ten years of living in France, Oberkampf and his brother obtained French nationality. During this period, a significant technical evolution allowed his company to dramatically increase production: the wooden blocks were replaced by engraved copper plates, flexible and fixed onto cylindrical rollers. The company entered the age of mechanization.
Until 1789, he partnered with Alexandre Sarrasin de Maraise, whose wife, Marie-Catherine de Maraise, managed their interests and established an efficient collaboration with Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf.
From 1780 to the late 1790s
In 1783, the factory received the title of "Royal Manufacturer" from King Louis XVI of France, and in 1787, Oberkampf himself was granted the title of squire, along with the right to use a coat of arms and the motto "Recté et vigilante" (Righteous and vigilant).
In 1785, Oberkampf invented the first machine for printing wallpaper, and shortly after, Louis-Nicolas Robert designed a process to produce continuous rolls of wallpaper.[2]
On February 7, 1790, the reforms of the French Revolution led to his appointment as mayor of Jouy-en-Josas. In 1794, his daughter Émilie was born. Influenced by British early childhood schools, she would become a pioneer in creating early childhood education in France.
The factory continued to thrive during the Revolution, becoming the second-largest company in the country after the Saint-Gobain mirror factory. In 1799, sales declined, and the workforce, which had reached 2,000 workers, was reduced.
19th Century
In 1806, Oberkampf won a gold medal at the industrial exhibition at the Louvre for his remarkable role in fabric printing. On June 20, 1806, after visiting the workshops, Napoleon awarded him the Legion of Honor.
Demand declined, and competition intensified. By 1815, the workforce had decreased to 435 employees, and the factory closed during the invasion by allied forces against the Emperor.[3]
Death
Oberkampf died in 1815 in Jouy-en-Josas (now in Yvelines). His son Emile succeeded him as head of the company. In 1822, Jacques-Juste Barbet de Jouy acquired the company, which eventually went bankrupt in 1843. Oberkampf was buried in the garden of his house, which today houses the Music Academy of Jouy-en-Josas.
The Rue Oberkampf in the 11th arrondissement of Paris was named in his honor, as well as a metro station serving the area.
See also
- Toile de Jouy Museum
Bibliography
- Stanley D. Chapman; Serge Chassagne; European textile printers in the eighteenth century: a study of Peel and Oberkampf; London: Heinemann Educational: Pasold Fund, 1981. OCLC 8500406
- Josette Brédif; Musée Oberkampf; Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf and the Jouy-en-Josas Manufactory: Historical Overview.; Jouy-en-Josas, France: Musée Oberkampf, 1987. OCLC 34521962
External links
References
- ↑ Today, this village is part of the town of Blaufelden, in the district of Schwäbisch Hall, in the German state of Baden-Württemberg.
- ↑ "Nicholas Robert" Encyclopædia Britannica
- ↑ https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christophe-Philippe_Oberkampf#cite_ref-3