Digging Deeper


The Pierpoint Morgan Library, New York.   1994.1.

Fabrics in the 19th century recorded the news stories of the day. Events that occurred in Europe eventually became known in Dorchester County. In October 1826 the giraffe Zarafa landed in Marseilles after a long journey from Sudan. This unusual gift from Egypt's Muhammad Ali to Charles X of France was the first living giraffe Europeans had seen. Her gentle nature, her affection for humans, and her improbable story made Zarafa the "ardent curiosity of the capital." On display at the museum le Jardin des Plantes for nearly eighteen years, Zarafa became the subject of songs and plays, and the inspiration for designs on textiles, wallpapers, and ceramics. On this quilt's border we see her depicted with her keeper, Atir.

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