After a long period of prohibition that had banned the manufacturing and marketing of printed cotton from 1686 to 1759 throughout the kingdom of France, the number of fabric printing factories in the region of Rouen increased, capitalising on the enthusiasm for these cotton fabrics with colourful patterns.

 The Besselièvre family’s factory was one of the greatest industrial success stories within this sphere in the Cailly valley. In 1857, Charles Besselièvre inherited from his father the Indienne factory established in the town of Maromme. In the late nineteenth century, the factory had 300 workers and 6 printing machines. The quality of the Indienne fabrics produced was widely admired and rewarded at the Universal Exhibitions in 1889.

The Vallois Rope Factory Museum holds an extensive collection of samples of printed fabrics produced by various indienneurs (Indienne manufacturers) in the Rouen region. Each sample - collected as part of the creation of the Industrial and Commercial Museum of Rouen
- bears a label indicating the date and the manufacturer’s name.