In 1827, Muhammad Ali, the viceroy of Egypt, gave a giraffe as a present to King Charles X of France. It took two years to move the animal 4000 miles from Central Africa to Paris. Zarafa, the female giraffe, was such a sensation that carriage traffic paused for a full day, and huge crowds gathered to catch sight of her. Zarafa sparked a fad for the coiffure à la girafe, which lasted over a year. Women’s hair was supported by wire frames into high topknots.

Nicolas Hüet, the Younger (1770–1828)
Study of the Giraffe Given to Charles X by the Viceroy of Egypt, 1827

Fashion Plates 1827-8 from Ackermann’s Repository

AGASSE, Jacques-Laurent “The Nubian Giraffe” 1827