The English translation of Claude-Joseph Bonnet’s biography is now available, under the title The Black Silk Baron, Claude-Joseph Bonnet, A Master Silk Manufacturer in 19th Century-France. US historian George Sheridan from University of Oregon wrote a great preface. See presentation below.

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Book presentation

Claude-Joseph Bonnet, born on the cusp of the French Revolution, became a pivotal figure in the 19th-century Industrial Revolution as a silk manufacturer. Leaving his home in rural Bugey for Lyon at the age of 17, he rose to prominence as a true self-made man, excelling in the Lyon silk industry by specializing in premium-quality black silks. His career, spanning the First and Second Napoleonic Empires, was marked by remarkable commercial success that established the Bonnet brand as one of the most prestigious in Lyon. The company not only thrived in France but also gained international renown, forming exclusive partnerships with the newly emerging department stores. Driven by the belief that he was doing « good » by helping rural women avoid migration to the cities, Bonnet devoted part of his career to creating an industrial boarding school for young girls in his hometown, sparking significant social and political discussions of the time. While liberal in his business dealings, he adhered to a rigid moral conservatism, embodying an uncompromising paternalism. This stance made him a target of labor activists and the socialist press, particularly during the Canut revolts and the revolution of 1848, when his likeness was hung in effigy during protests, alongside other manufacturers. A prominent figure in 19th-century Lyon, Bonnet was one of those « conquering bourgeois » who regarded their business as their life’s crowning achievement, dedicating themselves to it with unwavering commitment.  

This work, the product of immense research by historian Henri Pansu from 1960 to 2012, is a sweeping historical essay that intertwines the entrepreneurial trajectory of Claude-Joseph Bonnet and his immediate successors with the political upheavals of 19th-century France, the technological evolution of the silk industry, and the interconnected narratives of family and society.