Concept
Jacques-Eugène Armengaud (25 October 1810 – 23 January 1891) was a French industrial engineer, and professor of machine drawing at the Conservatoire national des arts et métiers (CNAM), particularly known as the original author of The practical draughtsman's book of industrial design, 1851. Born in Ostend, Armengaud graduated from the School of Arts and Crafts at Châlons-sur-Marne, and became professor of machine drawing at the Conservatoire national des arts et métiers (CNAM) in Paris. Jacques-Eugene Armengaud and his brother Charles (1813–1893) worked as patent agents and consulting engineers. Later Armengaud taught machine drawing at Conservatoire national des arts et métiers, and was partner in a machine factory. He specialized in the mechanical engineering and the design of machines, on which he wrote a series of books. His work made a significant contribution to the disclosure of new construction techniques in his days. He also edited the journal Publication industrielle des machines. Armengaud died in Paris, 23 January 1891, at the age of 81. The Practical Draughtsman's Book of industrial design by Armengaud, Armengaud and Amouroux was originally published in French as Nouveau cours raisonné de dessin industriel in 1848. The subtitle of the (translated) work already explains, that it wants to offer a "complete course of mechanical, engineering, and architectural drawing." The study of those types of technical drawing, according to Armengaud, belong to the field of industrial design. In the preface Armengaud characterized this field: "INDUSTRIAL DESIGN is destined to become a universal language ; for in our material age of rapid transition, from abstract, to applied, Science — in the midst of our extraordinary tendency towards the perfection of the means of conversion, or manufacturing production — it must soon pass current in every land. Armengaud was convinced that the study of Industrial Design is an "indispensably necessary as the ordinary rudiments of learning.
