Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf (11 June 1738 – 6 October 1815) was a French naturalized German

industrialist A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through perso ...

. He became famous for founding the royal manufacture of printed cottons of

Jouy-en-Josas Jouy-en-Josas () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the south-western suburbs of Paris, from the center of Paris. Jouy-en-Josas is home to the main campus of HEC Sc ...

where the

toile de Jouy Toile (French for "canvas") is a textile fabric comparable to fine batiste with a cloth weave. Natural silk or chemical fiber filaments are usually used as materials. The word ''toile'' can refer to the fabric itself or to a test garment sewn ...

was manufactured. Oberkampf was born in Wiesenbach, Germany, into a family of dyers. He traveled to educate himself and initially worked in

Mulhouse Mulhouse (; Alsatian language, Alsatian: or , ; ; meaning ''Mill (grinding), mill house'') is a city of the Haut-Rhin Departments of France, department, in the Grand Est Regions of France, region, eastern France, close to the France–Switzerl ...

as an engraver, then from October 1758 in Paris as a

colourist In comics, a colorist is responsible for adding color to black-and-white line art. For most of the 20th century this was done using brushes and dyes which were then used as guides to produce the printing plates. Since the late 20th century it is ...

Career

18th century

1759–1770s

In 1759, Oberkampf proposed a partnership with the

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

for the creation of a manufacture of cottons printed with engraved wood boards in Jouy-in-Josas. The first fabrics were successfully printed in May 1760. In 1764, Oberkampf increased his factory to a vast area of 18,000 m². The number of employees grew quickly and reached 900 workmen in 1774. In 1770, Oberkampf who had then lived in France for ten years, was made a naturalised French citizen, along with his brother. Around this period, an important technical evolution enabled his company to considerably increase its production: the wooden boards were replaced with copper plates, also engraved, but flexible and able to be fixed on cylindrical drums. The company entered the era of mechanisation. Until 1789, he was the businesspartner of Alexandre Sarrasin de Maraise, whose wife Marie-Catherine de Maraise took care of his interests and had an able companionship with Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf.

1780s–1790s

In 1783, the factory received from king

Louis XVI of France Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was e ...

the title of "royal manufacturer" and in 1787, Oberkampf received from the king the title of

squire In the Middle Ages, a squire was the shield- or armour-bearer of a knight. Use of the term evolved over time. Initially, a squire served as a knight's apprentice. Later, a village leader or a lord of the manor might come to be known as a " ...

as well as the right to use arms and his device "Recte et vigilanter (uprightness and vigilance)". In 1785 Oberkampf invented the first machine for printing wallpaper, and shortly afterwards,

Louis-Nicolas Robert Nicolas Louis Robert (2 December 1761 – 8 August 1828) was a French soldier and mechanical engineer, who is credited with a paper-making invention that became the blueprint of the Fourdrinier machine. In 1799, Robert patented the first machine ...

designed a process for manufacturing endless rolls of wall-paper. On February 7, 1790, the reforms of the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

led him to be appointed mayor of Jouy-en-Josas. In 1794 his daughter Émilie was born. Influenced by the British Infant Schools, she would become the pioneer of the

nursery school A preschool, also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, or play school or creche, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary school ...

. The factory continued to flourish during the Revolution and became the second company of the kingdom after the mirror manufacture of Saint-Gobain. In 1799, sales declined and the manpower – which had reached 2,000 workers – was reduced.

19th century

In 1806, Oberkampf won a gold medal at the industrial fair of the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

for its eminent role in the manufacture of printed

toile Toile (French for "canvas") is a textile fabric comparable to fine batiste with a cloth weave. Natural silk or chemical fiber filaments are usually used as materials. The word ''toile'' can refer to the fabric itself or to a test garment sewn ...

s. On June 20, 1806, after visiting the workshops,

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

, awarded him the

legion of honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

. Decrease in the demand and competition got more insistent. In 1815, manpower fell to 435, and the manufacture was closed during the invasion of the armies united against the Emperor.

Death and legacy

When Oberkampf died in 1815 in

(today in

Yvelines Yvelines () is a department in the western part of the Île-de-France region in Northern France. In 2019, it had a population of 1,448,207.Rue Oberkampf Rue Oberkampf (''Oberkampf Street'') is a street in the 11th arrondissement of Paris. It is named for Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf (11 June 1738 – 6 October 1815) was a French naturalized German industrialist. He ...

in the

11th arrondissement of Paris The 11th arrondissement of Paris (''XIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is referred to as ''onzième''. The arrondissement, called Popincourt, is situated on ...

, and to the Oberkampf metro station that serves it.

Read also

*Stanley D Chapman; Serge Chassagne ; ''European textile printers in the eighteenth century : a study of Peel and Oberkampf'' ; London : Heinemann Educational : Pasold Fund, 1981. *Josette Brédif; Musée Oberkampf ; ''Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf et le manufacture de Jouy-en-Josas : historique.'' ; Jouy-en-Josas, France : Musée Oberkampf, 1987. *H.Clouzot, ''Histoire de la manufacture de Jouy et de la toile imprimée en France'' ; Paris, 2 vols, 1928.

Notes

External links

Detailed biography of Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf in the Virtual Museum of Protestantism

Artnet.com

Museeprotestant.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oberkampf, Christophe-Philippe 18th-century French businesspeople 19th-century French businesspeople 1738 births 1815 deaths Recipients of the Legion of Honour Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery German emigrants to France