Alphonse Giroux is a well-known Parisian brand for toys and precious objects to offer. He is "the prince's merchant", offering a range of luxury products valued by the aristocracy and the upper bourgeoisie. Around 1830, he turned to cabinetmaking, which remained his main business: writing desks, sewing tables, boxes and sewing kits made of precious wood.
Founded in 1799, the shop shines under the Restoration: Louis-Philippe purchases the present he intends to offers to the Duke of Berry’s children, a carriage of gold and crystal, decorated with emeralds and pulled by horses of nacre. At the World’s Fair of 1855, the Empress Eugénie acquires an extraordinary cabinet by Alphonse Giroux, covered with climbing plants in carved linden wood.
Not only known for its luxury furniture and accessories, Alphonse Giroux is interested in optics. He was thus the first manufacturer of kaleidoscopes in 1818 and daguerreotypes in 1839, which he also sold in his Parisian shop.
