Nicolas Vuillaume I (1800–1872) was the third son of Claude-François Vuillaume IV (1772–1832), born after his older brothers, Charles-François II (b. 1797) and Jean-Baptiste (1798–1875), and before Nicolas-François II (1802–1876). These makers represent the last generation of the illustrious Vuillaume family of French luthiers, which was established in Nancy and Mirecourt as far back as the early 17th century.
While two of his brothers established important workshops in Europe during the 19th century—Jean-Baptiste in Paris and Nicolas-François in Brussels—Nicolas worked most of his life in the family workshop in Mirecourt. After working in Paris for Jean-Baptiste between 1832–1842, Nicolas returned to Mirecourt where he built instruments under his own name and continued to produce two popular lines of instruments for Jean-Baptiste’s business: one labeled Sainte Cécile des Ternes, which included a decal image of Saint Cécile on the upper back of each instrument, and another line of instruments branded Stentor. Nicolas Vuillaume was a prolific maker right up until his death in 1872.
