{Toile de Jouy}

Toile fabric is named after the "Manufacture Royale de Jouy". Jouy-en-Josas is a little town, near Versailles, southwest of Paris. Toile means canvas or cloth, and Jouy represents the abbreviated name of the town. Typical toile motifs often tell a story, about rural life, historic events, sometimes mythical,or oriental, most often pastoral scenes. These designs were manufactured in France from 1760 by Oberkampf who opened the first factory in the town of Jouy-en-Josas, chosen for the quality of its water. Toile de Jouy has been and is still increasingly popular today among decorators or designers, who incorporate its classic patterns in upholstery, wallpaper, bed linen, and even stationery.






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