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Oberkampf, Christophe-Philippe
(b Wiesenbach, 11 June 1738; d Jouy-en-Josas, 6 Oct 1815). French textile manufacturer of German birth. He was the son of a textile dyer and printer and was trained in these skills in both Switzerland and the region of Mulhouse in Alsace. In 1758 he went as engraver and colourist to Paris but left soon after to direct a new workshop at Jouy-en-Josas, near Versailles, where he produced his first printed piece in May 1760. Oberkampf developed Jouy into the most important factory making printed cottons in France. His success was due to several factors: his exceptional qualities as a manager, his use of good-quality products and fast dyes, and his constant attention to scientific progress. In 1770 he introduced copperplate printing at Jouy, and in 1797 he put the first roller-printing machine into production in France. In 1783 he commissioned his first design from Jean-Baptiste Huet I, which started a successful 28-year collaboration. Huet’s Neo-classical and genre scenes, printed in single colours on to fine cotton fabric, were the textiles that made Oberkampf’s reputation and continue to be associated with him. In addition to these the factory continued to make high-quality floral fabrics using woodblocks (see TEXTILE, colour pl. X, fig. 1), producing at least 30,000 patterns. In 1770 Oberkampf became a French citizen, and in 1787 he was given Patents of Nobility. Jouy had become Manufacture Royale in 1783; 1805 was the factory’s peak year, and in 1806 Oberkampf was awarded the Cross of the Légion d’honneur by Napoleon.
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