Jacques-Louis, born in 1784, comes from a family belonging to the guild of brush makers and tabletiers since the 17th century.As for Marie-Hélène, her father was a fan maker and her brothers and uncles were tabletiers (craftsmen working with hard materials).
In 1805, the marriage of Jacques-Louis and Marie-Hélène was the starting point of the couple's activities. They were the founders of the modern brushmaking industry at a time when France was entering one of the most turbulent periods in its history.
The couple became the official brush makers for Napoleon, the military and the Emperor's family. The use of beard brushes or shaving brushes quickly became popular with the military campaigns of the First Empire. The wearing of a moustache was a direct sign of military rank for soldiers; as for the Emperor's close entourage, they displayed a hairless face.
True inventors of the shaving brush, the couple set up their workshop at 42 rue Phélipeaux in Paris. This street later became rue Réaumur when it was widened as part of the major urban planning operations of the city of Paris at the end of the 19th century. The brush factory remained on rue Réaumur until 1883, when it moved to rue des Archives in the Marais.
After the fall of the Empire, Plisson kept the eagle's head as an emblem in homage to Napoleon, the eagle being at the centre of the Empire's coat of arms and of all the flags of Napoleon's armies.
A new vision
Gradually disappearing since the late 1950s, the eagle's head was brought back into the spotlight in 2021 when we worked on our heritage. Now, the eagle's head is not only turned towards the right and the victories to come, but is adorned with magnificent feathers, evoking the brand's unique expertise in magnifying the beauty of men.
