他来自瑞士的胡格诺家庭。他的父亲是雕刻师保罗·吉拉尔（1821年至1893年）。

他曾就读于巴黎高等美术学院，并在演播室亚历山大Cabanel。多次前往北非与他的兄弟之后尤金，著名的东方画家，他却选择专注于流派的场景和历史画的公社和路易丝·米歇尔都喜爱的主题。

他于1881年结婚，盖了房子，在布洛涅-比扬古工作室。同年，他开始在展出沙龙。他在获得了银牌世界博览会（1889年）。除了他的画，他说明了几本书，其中包括小姐去Fierlys由弗雷德里克Dillaye（谁在臭名昭著的火在去世扎尔德拉查理特）和Tartarin德塔拉斯孔由阿尔方斯·都德。他的弟弟莱昂也是一个画家。
 

He came from a Swiss Huguenot family. His father was the engraver Paul Girardet (1821-1893).

He studied at the École des Beaux-arts and in the studios of Alexandre Cabanel. After several trips to North Africa with his brother Eugène, a noted Orientalist painter, he chose instead to concentrate ongenre scenes and history painting.[1] The Commune and Louise Michel were favorite topics.

He married in 1881 and built a house with a studio in Boulogne-Billancourt. That same year, he began to exhibit at the Salon. He won a Silver Medal at the Exposition Universelle (1889).[1] In addition to his paintings, he illustrated several books, including Mademoiselle de Fierlys by Frédéric Dillaye (who died in the infamous fire at the Bazar de la Charité) and Tartarin de Tarascon by Alphonse Daudet. His brother Léon was also a painter.