In 1759, Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf, an entrepreneur of German origins, moved to Jouy-en-Josas and started a factory there, which produced "toile de Jouy", a cotton fabric printed with isolated engraved vignettes of historical figures or landscapes, usually printed in red or green on white cotton. He became the town's first mayor in 1790. Industry started to wane in 1799 and even further in 1815, when Napoleon was toppled and Oberkampf died. Oberkampf's motto, ""Recte et Viligenter"", Latin for "Uprightness and Vigilance", was used by the commune for its coat of arms.