Henri Houdebine founded his company in 1845. He gained a great reputation in the making of clocks and decorative bronze pieces. His works, appreciated for their high artistic quality, took inspiration from various styles, including the neo-Greek style, very fashionable with artists in the 1860s. His work was immediately successful with the public, and one can say from 1862, that 50% of his production was exported. Houdebine set up his workshops at number 64, rue de Turenne, in Paris during the period 1865-1880. He participated magnificently in several Universal Exhibitions, such those held in Paris in 1855, where he was awarded a 2nd class medal for his statuettes and display cups, in London in 1862, and again in Paris in 1878 and 1889, where he won a Gold medal for his all the works he exhibited. Houdebine participated finally in the Chicago Universal Exhibition of 1893, where he presented splendid cressets, clocks and some sculptures.