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A quintessentially French printed fabric born of art and technology in the 1700s.
The designs resemble finely engraved etchings and use one colour on a solid
ground, usually with a narrative element such as pastoral scenes or classical
mythology. At first monochromatic in reds and blues, later multicolored as
technology advanced. Toiles were also popular during the Colonial Era in the United
States and are highly associated with preservationist towns and historical
areas, such as Colonial Williamsburg. When Williamsburg saw a repopularization in
the 1930s, so did toiles, as they did again in the 1970s in celebration of the United
States Bicentennial.

First created via copperplate printing in 1752 in Ireland,
made famous in France by Christophe Oberkampf 30 years later

Hugely successful French export in the 1800s –
conquering more land than Napoleon

Blended ideas and motifs in a poetic visual dialogue: floral or chinoiserie
styles, political subjects, genre scenes, mythological tales, fables, and popular
literature were often depicted

The wealthy sophistiques, led by Marie Antoinette, longed for simple romantic
country life, thus the demand for idyllic pastoral scenes. Huet started the trend of
dressing courtly ladies in peasant costumes and placing them in his designs as
wenches pursuing rural pleasures.

excerpted from the article, “Toile Past and Present”” by Amy Azzarito for Décor du Jour

THE BAN ON COTTON

When cotton was first imported from India to France in
the 16th and 17th century, the light, colorful, and easily
washable fabric was an instant success. It was used for
clothing , wall coverings, curtains and bedclothes. It was
so much in demand, that the French government became
concerned about the financial impact this competition
would have on French manufactures of silk, wool and
cloth. So in 1686, all cotton was banned in France –
production, importation and use. Even with the threat of
arrest, the fashion continued – clandestinely. Finally in
1759, when the ban proved impossible to enforce, it was
lifted and French factories sprung up to satisfy the
demand for printed cotton.
The leading factory was that of Christophe Oberkampf, in
Jouy en Josas, just outside of Versailles.


March 2013 marks the 253rd anniversary of the founding of Oberkampf
factory at Jouy-en-Josas in 1760.

Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf - founder of the printed cotton
manufacture in Jouy-en-Josas, France
also invented the first machine for printing wallpaper in 1785
Rue Oberkampf in the 11th arrondissement of Paris is named for
Christophe-Philippe.

Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf (11 June 1738 – 6 October 1815) was a
French naturalized German industrialist, born in Weisenbach,[Germany, into
a family of cloth dyers. As a child, Christophe-Philippe accompanied his
father on dyeing jobs. He initially worked for Koechlin- Schmaltzer et Cie in
Mulhouse, Alsace as an engraver, then from October 1758 at the age of
20, in Paris as a colorist.
In Paris, Christophe-Philippe rose quickly through the ranks. After just a
single year working in Paris, he formed a partnership with his former
employer, who had advance warning that the cotton ban was about to be
lifted and recognized the importance of Christophe-Philippe’s expertise –
the two men decided to manufacture printed cotton.
By 1805, the factory employed 1,322 workers. In total, more than 30, 000
designs were created at the Jouy manufacture, many of them the work of
renowned 18th-century artists such as Fragonard and Boucher.
While the phrase toile de jouy literally translates as cloth from jouy, it has
come to refer to the single-color print of a pastoral scene (usually) on a
white ground


Copperplate Technology = Toile de Jouy

Cotton arrived at Jouy spun and woven. Canvas or twill weave were the ones
used at the factory. Siamoise, mixing cotton and linen thread was also used.
Finished cloths measured 21 meters long by a meter wide.

The early printed cotton( first 10 years) was hand produced using wood block
printing, requiring separate engraved blocks to print each color on designated
areas. Smaller areas of color were often "pencilled" or hand-painted onto the
textiles. In the 1770's the factory began to incorporate copperplate printing
and later copper cylinder printing, Increasing output to 5k meters daily. These
new techniques allowed for designs with larger and finer repeat patterns
although only in a single color. Increased production, and lower fabrication
cost were other important benefits of these technologies
In 1770 when copperplate printing began at Jouy – the technique had been
used in England and Ireland for a number of years, but Oberkampf was the
first cotton manufacturer to bring copperplate printing technology into France.

Copperplate Printing - From the late 18th century, this form of printing took
over from Block Printing. In this method the design was engraved on a flat
copper plate which was rubbed with print dye. The dye is then wiped from the
surface having been left in the incised lines of the engraving. Cloth was laid
over this plate and pressure exerted by mechanical means to transfer the
design. The presses were quite large and allowed printing of large scale
designs- usually a square meter which was the size of the copper plate.

Because the lines on the engraved copperplates are finer than on wood
blocks, one was able to introduce the effects of light and shade, with the use
of hatching. The copperplates also allowed for a larger repeating pattern. This
opened up the possibility for designs – no longer limited to florals or
geometrics– Oberkampf commissioned the best artists to design pastoral
scenes with human figures. This new style allowed for the fabric to portray
major events of the time period such as the first balloon flight or the
fascination with Napoleons’ discoveries on his campaigns in Egypt.
Other Toiles depicted LaFontaine’s Fables, popular 18th century
novels, mythological and contemporary or historical events of significance


Toile de Jouy Process

1.the undyed cotton is washed in the Bievre River
2. It is beaten with sticks to remove its primer
It is dried in the fields, then passes to the oven to smooth the texture
Beforehand the motifs are printed on engraved wood blocks ( technique in
use since 5th century) and after 1770 on copper plates
(3). After printing the fabric is soaked in a bath of cow dung to eliminate
excess thickener
(4) Washed in the Bievre River
The toiles proceed to a madder root dye bath that reveals the colors on only
the parts of the cloth that have been previously soaked in mordants( binder
substance made of aluminum salts mixed with gum, fabric is soaked in to
make it absorb dye )
Iron based mordant = purpler tints, aluminum mordant: pinks and reds
Reds, pinks, violets, blacks and sepia are obtained with the madder
root, indigo and cucuma for blues, saffron for yellows
The background is exposed to the sun for days to dry and bleach
(5Yellows and Blues are printed directly on the cloth Green is achieved by
mixing yellow and blue until 1808.
After paintstaking finishing touches by fine paint brushes, certain pieces
receive a starch and wax primer, applied to the cloth before it passes to a hot
grill la calandre à chaud.
To smooth and polish the pieces, an agate or crystal stone is used, fixed to
the end of a wooden arm of sorts le lissoir (7).
Stamped with the factory mark, or chef de piece, they were then
Ready to be sold
En 1797, the scottish invented copper rollerplate printing is
implemented, increasing production considerably from 30 to to 5000 meters
a day.

1st Row

2nd Row

3rd Row

4th Row

5th Row

excerpted from the book, “Toiles for All Seasons” by Starr Siegele

During the years from 1783 to 1811 Oberkampf commissioned the French painter Jean Baptiste Huet to
design the prints for his new fabrics. He created about 32 designs in total. The first design for a printed
textile that artist Huet drew for Oberkampf, Les Travaux de la Manufacture, The Factory in Operation
was created to commemorate Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette's visit to Jouy en Josas, in 1783. Following
their tour, Oberkampf was awarded the honor of stamping all of his fabric " Manufacture
Royale", granting Oberkampf the privilege of patent protection from Versailles. This design also shows us
who worked at the famous Toile de Jouy factory, and how they worked, using woodblock and
copperplate printing to create the Toiles.

First Row left to right:
a building in the factory complex; Workers beating bundles of wet, undyed cotton at the edge of a
river, that have been soaked on a floating raft; Woodblock printing by hand with a color boy assisting
A dye artist preparing the dye

Second Row
The dung bath used to remove excess mordants and unabsorbed dyes; A copperplate press printing a
fabric marked with the arms of the King and Manuf. Royale de SD ,Oberkampf, and his lawyer, Sarrasin de
Maraise ; Work Bell; The Village of Jouy en Josas with its church, and textiles bleaching in the fields

Third Row
The Lissoir, or glazing press, used to finish the printed cloths;The calendaring press, a blend of starch and
wax was applied to the printed cloth, which was then passed through rollers that thinned and smoothed
it. Next it was polished to a glossy finish with agate stone;The retouchers, or pencillors, supervised by the
engraver, Ulrich Bossert, are applying indigo where blues are needed and correcting areas of flawed
printing

Fourth Row from Center
Huet supervised by the designer and plant overseer, Ludwig Rordorf;Oberkampf and his little son, greeting
factory workers ;Rinsing fabric in the Bievre River

Fifth Row:
Jouanon, Peigne flower painter and designer, working at her drawing board with Versailles in the
background; Laying out printed cotton to bleach in the sun in front of the drying house (the cloth was
spread pattern-side down and sprinkled with water six to eight times a day for six days.)]
The boiling dye bath with its furnaces. The root of the madder plant produced shades of red that ranged
from browns to pinks to purples and even black. The weld plant produced yellow and olive tints.

Braquerie by Pierre Frey still reproduces this design today.

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The above toile, designed by Huet for Oberkampf, refers to the Treaty of
Alliance (1778). America alligns itself with France and the union is blessed by
the goddess of freedom - a very symbolic theme just ten years before the
French revolution. On the far left a black man waves the human rights
declaration as an Englishman exits.
From « Printed French Fabrics: Toiles De Jouy », by Josette Brédif

The above toile : Les monuments d'Égypte, ca. 1808

Manufacture de Jouy Designer: Jean-Baptiste Huet (French, 1745–1811), after a
drawing by Louis-François Cassas (French, 1756–1827)
Roller-printed cotton Due to interest in Egyptian civilization stimulated by Bonaparte's
expedition, Huet designed this pattern, in maroon on white cotton. Alternating scenes
of Alexandria's harbor with the Maison Consulaire de France, the obelisk of Cleopatra
with the ruins of the library, the obelisk de la Matharée with the Nile, interpretations of
other temples and sculpture are interspersed with figures and camels, against a latticed
ground punctuated by stylized lotus flowers. The motifs (printed in reverse) are derived
from eight engravings after drawings by the painter and traveler Louis-François Cassas.

Alternate Toile Patterned Genres:

Mignonettes ( miniature) simple geometric motifs Small dense printed patterns, in a
narrow range of colors, infinitely variable, highly popular from the start

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Alternate Toile Patterned Genres:

Indiennes: many colored flowers based on the stylized exotic flowers found in Indian Art

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Floral Prints were used for dressmaking
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Queen Marie Antoinette, as depicted in Sofia Coppola’s film

Floral Prints were used for dressmaking
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Figural prints for
interior furnishings and
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Figural prints for
interior furnishings and
decor
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Toiles of Today

“Toile des Septantes”
chez Pierre Frey 2012

Left, Jea
n Ulrich,

Right
Manuel
Canovas

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Toiles of Today

“Punk Rock Toile”

Above
Embroidered
Punk Rock
Toile

Left, Tie Dye
Toile Plates,
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Toiles of Today

Sheila Bridges’ Harlem Toile de Jouy line

Ms. Bridges intertwines artistry and history in a fun, yet thought-
provoking way. Bridges, who was named “America’s Best Interior
Designer” by both CNN and Time Magazine, designed the
wallpaper “to remind people of the many stereotypes that have
historically been and continue to be associated with African
Americans living in rural parts of the country as well as urban parts
of the country like Harlem”

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Artist Emily Forgot

Artist Jean Claude Brasset

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This 3D toile de jouy "wallpaper" created by ceramicist Beth
Katleman. Entitled "Folly," consists of hand-done porcelain
sculptures of, "elves and Barbies in lieu of frolicking
aristocrats."

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Talking Toile

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