Creature Feature

In 1827 a giraffe named Zarafa came to Paris as a gift to Kin Charles X. The French, most of whom had never seen such a creature, went wild for it, calling it “Sweet Thing.” More than 100,000 people came to visit Zarafa and suddenly giraffe furniture, porcelain, and decorations were everywhere. Lades wore gowns with themes like “Giraffe in love” and “Giraffe in exile.” Men tied “giraffe knots” in their ties in their ties. Most bizarre was the “à la giraffe” hairdo. It was so tall that the women who wore it had to sit on the floor of their carriages when they went out to a ball.

I do not take credit for this!