Eugène Giraud (1806–1881), Painter and Engraver

1st image: Soirée; 2nd: by Paul Baudry (1860); 3rd: photo by Nadar (1860s); 4th: auto-caricature drawn early 1860s.

Best known for his caricatures of the rich and famous, Eugène Giraud was a painter and engraver who moved effortlessly within elite circles. Born into a wealthy family with strong Bonapartist ties, he was a trusted confidant of Princess Mathilde—de Nieuwerkerke’s lover—serving as her teacher, friend, and even the creator of a “seductive” portrait of her. She affectionately nicknamed him Giraille, a testament to their close bond.

Jeune Lavandiere (1841)

In 1846, Giraud embarked on a six-month journey with writer Alexandre Dumas to Spain, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. Through this experience, he gained deep admiration for Spanish and North African art and its artists. Dumas chronicled their travels in From Paris to Cadiz (1847).
Like Delacroix10, Giraud was an orientalist painter, prioritizing mood and atmosphere over strict representation, a style that made him an ideal choice when de Nieuwerkerke sought to immortalize the aristocratic guests of his vendredi-soirées at the Louvre. Already an established figure in Princess Mathilde’s circle, Giraud—bohemian and witty—was the perfect artist to produce a caricature each evening.
By May 1855, Giraud had already completed seventy portraits. Over nearly two decades, he produced well over 200 caricatures, of which about 170 remain known today.

His process was both observational and spontaneous—he would identify a guest (selected either by himself or de Nieuwerkerke) and then sketch their likeness later that evening at an after-party in Horace de Viel-Castel’s43 atelier, accompanied by a select group. Within two hours, the caricature was completed.

Princess Mathilde once wrote: “His drawings amused, provoked laughter and joy, but they were never offensive. Everyone wanted him to sketch their portrait.”
Very close with his younger brother Charles47 (also depicted in the painting), Eugène lived in Princess Mathilde’s household and remained with her for thirty-five years until his death in 1881. His caricatures are preserved at the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF) and are occasionally displayed in exhibitions.