Louis-Nicolas Robert

• 1. A Frail Boy In Paris

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  Louis-Nicolas Robert was born on the 2nd of December 1761 to aging parents on rue Neuve-Saint-Eustache in Paris. He grew up physically frail and self-conscious yet remained studious and ambitious throughout his childhood. The religious order of the Minimes provided him with an excellent education focused heavily on science and mathematics. He felt deep guilt for being a financial burden to his family during those early years. At age fifteen he attempted to enlist in the army to support the American Revolution but was rejected by recruiters. Four years later he finally gained acceptance into military service. On the 23rd of April 1780 he joined the First Battalion of the Grenoble Artillery. His unit subsequently stationed him in Calais before transferring him to Metz. He fought against English forces in Saint-Domingue where he served for fourteen years until around 1794. Some accounts suggest he left the army at age twenty-eight in 1790 instead.

• 2. The Prototype That Failed

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  Robert finished his military career in 1790 and became an indentured clerk at a Didot family publishing house in Paris. He worked under Saint-Léger Didot as a clerk before switching roles to inspector of personnel at Pierre-François Didot's paper-making factory. This establishment dated back to 1355 and supplied paper to the Ministry of Finance for currency manufacture. Both Robert and Didot grew impatient with quarrelling workers including vatmen couchers and laymen. They sought a mechanical solution to replace manual labor in the paper-making process. Dard Hunter reported that Didot judged Robert's first plans feeble yet showed enough promise to continue research. Didot financed a small prototype model which was completed by 1797 but deemed a failure. Robert became discouraged so Didot appointed him superintendent of grain grinding at a nearby flour mill. After months of rest from the paper factory Didot encouraged Robert to reprise the project. Several mechanics were put at his disposal to build the next model showing some improvement. Didot instructed Robert to make a full-size model scaling up to the popular 24 inch Colombier width. The machine succeeded producing two sheets of well felted paper.

• 3. The Patent That Vanished

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  Following the successful model built in 1798 Saint-Léger Didot insisted that Robert apply for a patent. Prior to 1798 paper was made one sheet at a time using a rectangular frame or mould with a screen bottom. Workers dipped the frame into a vat of pulp then removed it to press water out of the pulp. The remaining pulp dried while the frame could not be reused until the previous sheet was removed. Robert constructed a moving screen belt receiving continuous flow of stock and delivering unbroken wet paper to squeeze rolls. As the strip came off the machine it was manually hung over cables or bars to dry. Robert and Didot went to François de Neufchâteau the Minister of the Interior to apply for a patent. In 1799 the French Government granted the patent known as brevet d'invention for which Robert paid 8,000 francs. De Neufchâteau authorized the Bureau of Arts and Trades to send draughtsman Monsieur Beauvelot to Essonnes. The bureau declared they would document and build an improved model with assistance from the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers. The Conservatoire paid Robert three thousand francs to build another model for permanent display.

• 4. The Journey To London

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  Robert and Didot quarreled over ownership of the invention leading to Robert selling both the patent and prototype machine to Didot for 25,000 francs. Didot defaulted on payments forcing Robert to recover legal ownership of the patent on the 23rd of June 1801. Didot wanted to develop and patent the machine in England away from distractions of the French Revolution. He sent his English brother-in-law John Gamble to London to handle affairs there. In March 1801 after demonstrating continuous rolls of paper from Essonne John Gamble agreed to share the London patent application. Brothers Sealy and Henry Fourdrinier ran a leading stationery house and joined the effort. Gamble was granted British patent number 2487 on the 20th of October 1801 for an improved version of Robert's original machine. Gamble and Didot shipped the machine to London where development continued for six years. Approximately £60,000 of development costs were incurred before the Fourdriniers received new patents. An example of the Fourdrinier machine was installed at Frogmore in Hertfordshire.

• 5. Teaching Until The End

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  In 1812 poor health forced Robert to retire from paper-making having sold and lost control of his invention. Further exploitation concentrated entirely in England left him with no income from his creation. He moved to Vernouillet in Eure-et-Loir and opened a small school named Faubourg St Thibault. The French economy remained very depressed following Napoleon's defeats causing Robert to be poorly paid. He continued teaching until his death on the 8th of August 1828. A statue stands today in front of the church in Vernouillet honoring his memory. The Collège de Louis-Nicolas Robert in the quartier des Grandes Vauvettes bears his name as well. In 1976 Leonard Schlosser discovered Robert's original drawings at auction and made facsimiles for scholars. It is not now known where the original drawings can be seen by researchers or historians.