Original handpainted box by NH artist, Tim Campbell.  His folk art can be seen in galleries throughout New England, Cape Cod, Atlanta, San Fransisco and in the American Folk Art Museum in NYC.  Tim was selected by “Early American Life” magazine as the 2010 Best and Listed in the directory of Traditional American Crafts.

This beautiful box depicts the story of Zarafa, a giraffe that in 1825 was given to Charles X of France by Mehmet Ali, the Viceroy of Egypt.

She was captured as a young animal and transported by boat down the Nile. She was accompanied by 3 cows that supplied her milk each day.

She embarked on a ship to Marseilles with an Arab groom. A hole was cut through the deck above the cargo hole through which she could poke her head. After 32 days, she arrived in France

Arriving in Marseilles, a 2 part coat was made for her to keep her warm through the winter and also shoes for her feet.

On May 27th 1827, she set out on a 41 day walk to Paris accompanied by her 3 cows. She was a spectacle in each town she passed through. She arrived on June 6th where she was applauded by a crowd of 30,000.

She was presented to the King on July 9th and took up residence in Jardin des Plantes. Over 100,000 people came to see her, approximately 1/8 of the population of Paris at the time. Ladies hair was arranged in towering styles, a la girafe, spotted fabrics were all the rage, porcelains and other ceramics were painted with her image.

She remained in Paris for 18 years until her death, attended to the end. Her corpse was stuffed and displayed in the Jardin des Plantes foyer for many years before being moved to the museum at La Rochelle, where she remains today.