The first Wallace fountains date from 1872. Designed by Charles-Auguste Lebourg, these public drinking water points were named after Sir Richard Wallace, the English philanthropist who financed their construction. At the time, Wallace created four models of different sizes and designs, made of cast iron, an economical and robust material. The fountains were first produced by the Val d’Osne foundry, near Saint-Dizier (Haute-Marne), and then by the GHM foundry in Sommevoire, after its takeover of Val d’Osne. The production of the famous fountains has never ceased.