Toile de Jouy: Art, Industry, and Popular Culture

In 1760, Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf founded a textile factory in Jouy-en-Josas, France. His iconic monochromatic prints remain popular today.

Detail of “Les Travaux de la Manufacture.” Designed by Jean-Baptiste Huet, printed by the Oberkampf Manufactory, ca. 1783. Via the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

You know it when you see it, even if you’re unfamiliar with its name: a monochromatic print against a light background; fine illustrations with 18th-century flair; pastoral vignettes that call to mind the decor of a French chateau. Today, you can find this design in fast-fashion, bedspreads, wallpaper, and an $80 Dior notebook.

At the intersection of art, industrialization, and popular culture is toile de Jouy.

Toile de Jouy translates to “cloth from Jouy.” Like champagne, toile de Jouy once exclusively referred to fabrics produced at the factory of Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf (1738-1815) in Jouy-en-Josas, France. Today, the term is used broadly for any monochromatic print produced in the intricate style developed by Oberkampf’s artists. Since learning more about its history, I’ve remained fascinated by the complex origins of to…