1752-1834

French Inventor

Joseph Jacquard is the inventor of the weaving loom that still bears his name. The Jacquard loom revolutionized the textile industry and is the basis for the modern automatic loom.

Little is known about the formative years and education of Joseph Marie Jacquard. He spent the first years of his professional life as an apprentice in bookbinding, type-founding, and cutlery shops. It is believed that his parents had some connection to the weaving industry. Upon their deaths Jacquard inherited a small piece of property, which afforded him the opportunity to leave his apprenticeship and begin a series of experiments with weaves that contained patterns and designs. Unsuccessful, he lost his inheritance and was forced to return to type-founding and cutlery work.

Jacquard did not completely abandon his dreams and in 1790 he conceived of the idea for his famous loom, but his...