Toile de Jouy
A Fabric with Roots in the Eighteenth Century
by Patricia Cummings
photos by James Cummings
What is Toile de Jouy?
Toile (pronounced twahl) means "cloth" in French. “Toile de Jouy,” or “toiles de Jouy,” are terms that refer to fabric that was first manufactured at a factory in Jouy-en-Josas, a village located southwest of Paris, near Versailles. Founded in 1760 by German-born Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf, (1738-1815), a textile entrepreneur, the factory site was chosen primarily because of its proximity to the clear running water of the Bièvre River. Oberkampf knew that water is a crucial element in the dyeing process. Only the highest quality goods were used in the production of the factory's printed fabrics made of cotton, one reason for the enterprise’s success.
"Lutece Toile" in Red by Marcus Brothers, a spin-off on the traditional Toile de Jouy print, "The Four Seasons."
The Wood Block Printing Method
At first, the Oberkampf factory produced only floral designs block printed with wood blocks. In all, more than thirty thousand block print designs were utilized to print fabric there, far more than the mere seven hundred used for either copperplate or roller printing, as noted in the book, Toiles de Jouy, by Judith Straeten and Betty Lou Phillips (Salt Lake City, UT: Gibbs Smith, Publisher, 2002).
The size of the wood blocks limited the design area, as they were only about 10” large. Each was engraved with a mirror image of the finished design. For details, such as fine stems, sometimes engraved brass plates were attached to the block. When a background fabric containing small dots was desired, brass pins with small heads were hammered into the wood blocks. The resulting type of patterning on cloth is called picotage. Printing fabric via a hand-stamping method was a long and tedious process, and it was not long before inventors were seeking other more viable methods.
The Inventor of Copperplate Technology
In 1752, Francis Nixon, of Dublin, Ireland, designed an improved, easier way to print fabric. He discovered that engraved copperplates and a cylinder system could transfer designs to cloth. This required less manpower than wood block printing, and was therefore, more cost effective. An added benefit of copperplate printing is that the design area repeat could span up to as much as a yard. The copperplates themselves measured 45” wide. Oberkampf, wanting to stay abreast of new technology, eventually obtained a Swiss machine capable of printing fabric using copper engravings. Drawings produced from copper were more precise and detailed than those produced from carved wood. In 1770, changes in copperplate engraving led to monochromatic printing.
The photo above features a copperplate-printed toile, circa 1800. The 80" square quilt has a thin batting and a homespun linen backing in an off-white color. The fabric "repeat" is two feet wide. The quilt is hand-pieced and hand-quilted (seven stitches per inch). Photo courtesy of Mark French
This is a close-up of the quilt shown above. One can see the typical scenes of early toile fabric: dancers, people visiting and lounging, and dogs (apparently also visiting!) photo courtesy of Mark French, eBay name "french72"; ebay auction: 290059262990
Manufacture Royale de Jouy
The Oberkampf name quickly became synonymous with the word "toile.” The factory became famous for its monochromatic toiles which were printed in red, blue, or black, on a white or cream background. Even though four other countries produced toile fabric, as well as three other French factories, located in Alsace, Nantes, and Rouen, to this day “toile de Jouy” is the name that remains.
French royalty were among Oberkampf’s strongest supporters. Pastoral scenes depicted in the toile fabric coincided with the idealistic views of Marie Antoinette who was a fan of the writings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. In 1783, King Louis XVI proclaimed the Oberkampf factory to be the Manufacture Royale de Jouy.
One of the most memorable and famous toile prints, created in 1783-84, is called, “Les Travaux de la manufacture,” (“The activities of the factory”.) This red print on a cream background presents a detailed view of all of the processes involved with fabric production at Jouy. In the book Toiles de Jouy by Judith Straeten, she describes the many steps needed to prepare fibers into cloth, at that time.
Toile in Favor with the Upper Classes
Due to the heavy influx of popular cotton trade goods from India, England banned the importation of chintz fabric in 1701, and later placed a ban on all cotton cloth from 1720-1774, a total time span of nearly three quarters of a century.
France also banned the sale of both foreign and domestic cotton fabrics, due to lobbying by members of existing wool and silk industries. France’s seventy year ban, which started in 1686, was not revoked until 1756. By the time toile fabric was produced, cotton must have seemed like a new commodity! The fabric had great appeal to the upper classes who enjoyed it for home decorating. Toile was suitable for bedhangings, draperies, pillows, and slip covers.
Benjamin Franklin was visiting England when he first became aware of toile. He promptly purchased some to bring home to his wife. One of his associates chided him for not choosing cloth of the same design and colorway so that his wife could decorate a whole room. Apparently, this look, at the time, was considered to be the height of elegance. Of course, being an inventor, Franklin was quite interested in the new copperplate printing process.
The Factory in Oberkampf Closes
By 1810, the Oberkampf factory that had made “toile” a household word in Europe, and in America, was in a state of decline. This may have been partially due to the Napoleonic Wars. Another contributing factor was diminished business trading with America who, by the 1820s/30s, had established a newfound self-reliance in the production of fabrics. In spite of the need to layoff workers, somehow the formerly successful business managed to continue until 1843.
An Overview of Types of Designs in Toile Prints
The Far East held a great deal of fascination for the people of the day. This resulted in the production of Chinoserie fabrics which depicted Oriental landscapes and caricature type images of Chinese people. The fabrics were considered to be very "exotic" and highly desirable. According to Straeten in Toiles de Jouy, descriptions and drawings came from travelers to China and resulted in “charmingly imagined scenes of Chinese life.” These designs inspired new engravings by artists François Boucher and Jean Baptiste Pillement. Extant examples of Pillement’s toile de Jouy engravings date from 1755-1760.
When toile fabric was first made in France, idyllic scenes featuring the French countryside were predominant. These motifs showed people at work and at leisure. Hunting scenes, which depicted a favorite pastime of the well-to-do, were favorites.
Toile that presented the images of famous Americans were also in demand. One very famous toile is entitled, “America Presenting at the Altar of Liberty Medallions her Illustrious Sons.” The print features John Adams, Ben Franklin, and George Washington, and originally was an English copperplate print made in 1785. “Revolutionary Toile,” a modernized version of this print is available from a company called Scalamandré, located in Ronkonkoma, NY.
Classical References
In addition, thematic depictions related to Roman or Greek mythology were popular because they were pleasing to a well-read audience of well-educated men who had studied the Classics. Architectural motifs of buildings were also in the mix of toile prints.
In the twentieth century, toile fabrics often sported literary themes such as the boyhood explorations by “Robinson Crusoe.”
Early Toile Designs Not Original, Copied from Existing Books
According to the book, Toile: The Storied Fabrics of Europe and America, few of the early toile designs were original. “Nearly all of them came from books of engraved prints that were copied freely by ceramic, as well as textile designers."
At least some of the designs were sketched by artists who worked for the Oberkampf factory, including the primary designer, Jean Baptiste Huet, (1745-1811). By 1782, Huet and other artists had already created a portfolio of close to one hundred large etchings.
The Legacy of Toile
Luckily, the bucolic, beautiful, and meaningful scenes created in the minds of artists and translated by them into engravings and then onto the surface of printed cloth, have been retained in the pages of history. The Textile Museum in Mulhouse, one of the museums where the designs are preserved, allows access to them so that new toile fabric can be produced.
In 1976, the Musée Oberkampf was established on the site of the original factory in Jouy-en-Josas, in the hope of having a repository for fabric swatches, and other artifacts associated with the history of the factory. In 1991, the museum collection moved to the Château de l’Eglantine.
Toile de Jouy: Printed Textiles in the Classic French Style is a must-see book that was written by Mélanie Riffel, the curator of the Musée de la Toile de Jouy, near Paris, and co-author Sophie Rouart, researcher for CIETA (Centre international d‘ étude des textiles anciens), and archivist for the textile company, Pierre Frey, Paris. The book with its detailed descriptions and massive number of clear photos are a true delight for those who wish to learn detailed information about the history of French toile.
Feedsack “Gone with the Wind” Reminiscent of Other Similar Toiles
Fabric manufacturers, not missing a beat in terms of potential sales, began printing toiles with a romantic, Southern theme, after the release of the movie “Gone with the Wind.” The book upon which the movie was based was mostly written in the 1920s, but was not published until 1936. A few months after WWII had begun, the movie version of the story charmed audiences across the country.
"Gone With the Wind" feedsack print, 1940s
Soon toile featuring well-bonneted women in long dresses, their handsome suitors, and “Tara,” the stately mansion of the novel, were being marketed. Even bags made of feedsack cloth were not immune from the craze. Shown here is an authentic 1940s “Gone with the Wind” feedsack bag that has been opened up to lie flat. The holes at the top and bottom of the piece of cloth are a clear indication of twine having been used to close the bag, and are evidence that the piece is truly feedsack cloth. This print came in different colorways, yellow being one of them. They are prized by collectors today.
A Look at the Mid-Twentieth Century Eisenhower Toile
The F. Schumacher Company began making commissioned fabrics after purchasing the Waverly Mill in Patterson, NJ in 1895. http://www.Schumacher.com/corp/crp_hst2.htm
In the mid-twentieth century, a fabric that honors the achievements, hobbies, and residences of President Dwight D. Eisenhower was created in three different colorways: red, brown, and blue. This specially commissioned fabric was fashioned into a dress for Mamie Eisenhower, in the red on white colorway. A piece of yardage in brown, from my collection, is shown here.
"Eisenhower Toile," a fabric commissioned by the first lady.
photo by James Cummings
New England Quilter Designs “I Like Ike” Quilt
Sally Palmer Field, a well-known Chelmsford, Massachusetts quilter, designed a quilt using the Eisenhower Toile. This center medallion style quilt features an “I Like Ike” kerchief in the center and toile fabric in the borders. Sally has included elements of a narrow fabric which is printed with various commemorative highlights of the life of Eisenhower who was president of the United States from 1953-1961.
Field’s quilt was displayed at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in an exhibit entitled, “America Remembers Quilting in the Twentieth Century” in 1998, and at the Wright Museum in the year 2004. Photos were not allowed for that particular item.
Design Tradition Continues
Traditionally, each toile design had its own name, and that practice continues today. If one looks through any print catalog for quilt fabrics, it is clear to see that toile is experiencing a renaissance. Toile fabrics with a wide range of design topics are being produced now.
Currently, Timeless Treasures has a “Mother Goose" toile in either pink or blue, perfect for a baby quilt or tote bag. Kona Bay offers two landscape-type Japanese Toiles: “Kyoto Toile,” or “Kyoto Tranquil Garden,” both in black and white. In the Beginning has created a Provençal scene called a “Red Avignon Toile.” She also offers the design in lilac on white, blue on white, or a monochromatic green print.
"Kyoto Toile" by Kona Bay shows the famous Mt. Fuji, in the distance.
Marcus Brothers has produced a small scale print called, “Lutece Toile,” in a choice of Red on cream, or Dark Gray on cream fabric. The pastoral sceneshows couples dancing festively around a maypole.
That particular repeat design in the fabric is a reproduction from, “Les Délices des Quatre Saisons” ("The Delights of the Four Seasons"), a 1785 French copperplate print.. In the original print, the harvesting of wheat in the summer, the gathering of grapes for wine-making in autumn, and sleigh riding in winter were also depicted.
The Benartex toile, “Remember When" toile, a taupe on beige print that is a larger scale adaptation of “The Delights of the Four Seasons.”
"Lutece Toile" in grey from Marcus Brothers, a different colorway than the one seen at the beginning of this article.
The Benartex toile, “Travels in Time,” is a multicolor print that features old time ways of transport, namely, boats, horses and buggies, and trains. Silk screening is the modern method used to produce many toile prints today.
"Travels in Time" by Benartex show old-fashioned ways of transportation.
Cranston Printworks, has created several whimsical fabrics based on drawings by Mary Engelbreit: a “Friends Toile,” a red on cream fabric, and “Sweetheart Toile,” a black on white cloth.
"Friends," from Cranston Printworks is a modern-looking toile is one based on the drawings of Mary Engelbreit.
There are also monochromatic, floral fabrics that are called “toiles.” Some of these were offered in the Hancock’s of Paducah print catalog.
Perennial Favorite
The popularity of toile waxes and wanes, but it has remained a perennially recurrent commodity, especially in the home decorating arena. The fabric lends itself to easy blending with geometric shapes in solids, plaids, and stripes.
A book entitled Timeless Toile by Roxanne Rentzel (Ft. Worth, TX: Suzanne McNeill Design Originals, 2003) offers many designs for quilts, pillows, and purses, in tandem with charming Redwork designs. The dancing figures of humans in old fashioned costumes are particularly enchanting.
Toile does indeed appear to be timeless. While toile may reinvent itself in new ways, the fabric design possibilities have so much to offer, it is not likely that this kind of fabric will disappear from view any time soon. For those who especially partial to the simplicity of two color combinations, toile fabric may be just the answer.
"Toiles de Something"
Joan Kiplinger, noted vintage fabrics authority and co-author of the book, Vintage Fabrics: Identification and Price Guide, shared the following information with me. Joan states, "By the way, toile is French for various types of cloth, mostly quality muslins. There are also many "toiles de something."
"In the Time of Toile" is a new fabric collection designed by Froncie Quinn. For more information, please visit her website: http://hooplapatterns.com/fabrics.htm
©Copyright 2006. James and Patricia Cummings, Quilter's Muse Publications.
Concord, NH. All rights reserved. Write to: pat@quiltersmuse.com