Périer, Jacques-Constantin

A French engineer and businessman, known for having imported the first steam engines into France.

Johann Conrad Fischer seems to have known Jacques-Constantin Périer mainly as a foundryman. To judge by the 1814 Journal, the acquaintance can be traced back to an earlier stay of Fischer’s in Paris, probably in 1803.

Together with his brother Auguste Charles Périer, Périer began producing his own steam engines in Chaillot from 1779, at first using the plans and parts supplied by Boulton & Watt, later independently using his own plans. The Chaillot workshops also produced other machines such as coin presses and flourmills. The steam-driven flourmills on the Île aux Cygnes in Paris of 1789-90 are well known.

It is likely that the Périers built a foundry for their mechanical activities. In the 1790s, the brothers also supplied the Garde Nationale and the French navy with cannon from their own factory.

Cite as: Périer, Jacques-Constantin. In: Travel Reports of a Pioneer: Digital Edition of the Travel Journals of Johann Conrad Fischer 1794–1851. Published by Franziska Eggimann. Edited by Franziska Eggimann, Nicolau Lutz, Valerija Rukavina und Christopher Zoller-Blundell. Schlatt 2023, Version 1.2, https://johannconradfischer.com/en/names/gfa-actors-7492, viewed on 13 June 2026.