The fascinating history of French Toile de Jouy

You may not have heard of Toile de Jouy, but the chances are you’ll recognise it. Printed cloth which most often features whimsical country scenes in a single colour on a white background, it was created in the 1700s in a village near Paris, became a best-selling icon and remains a timeless fabric – the epitome of French savoir faire says Janine Marsh as she explores the fascinating history of French Toile de Jouy.

History of French Toile de Jouy

Toile de Jouy literally means ‘cloth from Jouy’, referring to the village of Jouy-en-Josas, in the Eure-et-Loir department, just a few miles from the Palace of Versailles. And it’s here that you’ll find the fascinating Musée de la Toile de Jouy which is dedicated to its extraordinary history.

The story really begins in the 1600s when the East India Company ferried colourful cotton Indian textiles to Europe. Printed in bright, bold colours, it was hard wearing, easy to wash and cheap – a powerful rival to local textile products of silk, wool and linen. It caused so much panic in France that in 1686, King Louis XIV announced a ban on “Indian fabrics” which was enforced until 1759. Despite this, it remained popular, and even King Louis XV’s mistress, Madame de Pompadour openly flouted the rules, using the fabric In her wardrobe and home.

Who invented Toile de Jouy?

*Dress and furnishings in Toile de Jouy, a portrait of Oberkampf on the wall at the Musée de Toile de Jouy*

When the ban was officially lifted, German-born Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf, a Paris-based textile engraver and designer, partnered with an investor to open a company printing cloth in Jouy-en-Josas in 1760. It was the perfect location, just a few miles Paris and Versailles, and near an essential river to provide water for the dye process, and forest for firewood.

*The factory at Jouy in 1807, the cloth laid out to dry, painted by Jean-Baptiste Huet*

Oberkampf’s printed patterns were an instant success. By 1793, before the French Revolution, Toile de Jouy was the second most important factory in France (Saint-Gobain, a glass factory established in 1665 was the premier producer). At its peak some 1300 employees of Toile de Jouy toiled day and night to produce material which was exported all over the world used for clothes and home furnishings.

The fabric was expensive but popuar, and certainly every aristocratic home had some. Louis XVI awarded the company the title of “Manufacture Royale” in 1783. By royal decree, Oberkampf marked his fabric “bon teint” – assuring the dye would last (except for blue which was notoriously difficult to make fast). Queen Marie-Antoinette loved it and visited the factory in 1781. Even after the French Revolution, Toile de Jouy was the fabric of choice. Napoleon Bonaparte visited the factory twice and awarded Oberkampf the legion of Honour medal in 1806, and his wife Empress Josephine adored the cloth.

*Toile de Jouy flavoured bedroom at the Chateau of Lourmarin, Provence*

The factory was not to have everlasting success though, it went bankrupt in the 1840s. But, some 265 years after Oberkampf started his business, Toile de Jouy style remains a prominent design feature in homes all over France and beyond – the pattern is featured on the handles of cutlery, candle holders, bed linen, cushions, teapots and lampshades, anything and everything. And go to any chateau in France, and you’re sure to spot Toile de Jouy somewhere – it’s a classic look.

Toile de Jouy’s timeless appeal

A single colour printed scene on a white background may not sound exciting, but Oberkampf was innovative and imaginative. He used a copper-plate printing technique, invented in Ireland in the 1750s, which allowed patterns to become much more detailed. He hired top artists of the day to design patterns including Jean-Baptiste Huet, a renowned painter influenced by the Rococo style, and a member of the Royal Academy of Arts whose work was hung in the Louvre.

And if you think Toile de Jouy is all about ladies on swings in the countryside, and picnics of the aristos, think again. The patterns were enormously diverse. By the time of his death in 1815, Oberkampf had listed 30,000 patterns. They included topics from popular novels such as Robinson Crusoe and Don Quixote, Greek allegories, the fables of La Fontaine, foreign countries from Rome to Egypt, and current affairs including factory workers going about their day and the invention of hot air balloons – depicted floating over the Tuileries Gardens. Benjamin Franklin even made an appearance, and in 1790, the year after the storming of the Bastille in Paris on July 14, which heralded the start of the French Revolution, Huet created a special anniversary Bastille Day pattern featuring King Louis XVI swearing an oath of loyalty to the people on the Altar of Liberty. Just a few years later, he was featured in a pattern depicting his beheading.

*Monuments of Egypt, Jean Baptiste-Huet, 1807*

Oberkampf created pattern books which he sent to his customers worldwide, twice a year. He founded a chemistry school and sent his workers there to improve their learning. A new technique required ‘pencillers’ to use their own hair to paint with – achieving an astonishing level of complexity – essentially each pattern was a work of art. He collaborated with other producers to feature his patterns on matching china, wallpaper and furniture.

The Musée de Toile de Jouy, in the Chateau d’Eglantine, has a dazzling collection – more than 12,000 pieces including fabrics from the 18^th century to the present day, paintings, furniture, tools and more. You can take a self-guided tour of the Museum (most of the displays are in French and English), and in the warmer months enjoy coffee in the pretty garden. And if you’re a fan of Toile de Jouy – leave plenty of time to visit the fabulous shop which is full of fanciful, frivolous Toile things.

You can walk to the museum from the station (about 15 minutes) and trains run to the town direct from Versailles (from 15 minutes).

*Toile de Jouy éclair at the Dolce Versailles restaurant*

Enjoy the Toile theme further at the nearby Domaine de Montcel Dolce Versailles hotel (dolcehotelversailles.com) which was the former home of Oberkampf. The 18^th century chateau has had a chequered past, functioning as a boys boarding school from 1923-1980, except from 1940-1944 when it was used as the headquarters of the German Air Force (a bunker is still in the grounds) with much of it burned down when they left. The building has changed hands several times since then and became an artistic and cultural venue (two monumental modern artworks remain in the grounds). The listed garden, which was the pride and joy of Madame Oberkampf, is glorious. Don’t miss the Toile de Jouy themed eclairs here – utterly delicious and a fitting ode to the former owner.