Marie-Catherine de Maraise

Her spouse was the business partner of the pioneer industrialist Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf, founder of the royal manufacture of printed cotton in France.

This made Marie-Catherine de Maraise uncommon in her position of a married businesswoman in large business enterprise.

She was essentially active as the company's accountant, responsible for its economy and for managing its contacts with authorities and business contacts, acting as the public face of the company, particularly as Oberkampf was a Protestant which made it impossible for him to be seen in certain ceremonial situations in public.

With her sense of economy, she reportedly played an important part in making the firm the second most successful in France, and she acquired many valuable business contacts through her social life, among them Suzanne Curchod.

It is noted that she found out that France was going to participate in the American Revolutionary War beforehand through her contacts and used the information to try to secure an army contract for the company.