Portrait of Louis Vicat.

Stamps on the reverse side of cancellation, non redeemable.

Louis Vicat was the inventor of artificial cement, for which he did not file a patent, preferring the glory of being useful instead of being rich.

His son Jules Vicat founded Ciments Vicat in 1853 in Genevrey-de-Vif (Isère). Together they build a bridge at the Jardin des Plantes in Grenoble, the first poured concrete structure in the world.

Two large cement factories were built in 1922 in Montalieu (Isère) and La Grave de Peille (Alpes-Maritimes).

Joseph Aspdin, a British entrepreneur, filed a patent on the basis of the manufacturing process set out by Louis Vicat in 1818 for a product that he commercially named Portland Cement.

The Vicat group is the last French cement manufacturer with an international presence in 11 countries.