A Swiss painter of landscapes and portraits, Giron was born in Geneva, and studied in Paris under Alexandre Cabanel, beginning in 1872. He exhibited for the first time at the Paris Salon of 1876.

Giron divided his time between Paris, Geneva and Cannes. In the Swiss Alps he painted rural scenes and mountain landscapes. His fame spread throughout Europe on account of his society portraits and his elegant style.

Although it is unclear when he and Sargent met, they were well acquainted by 1879 when several of Sargent’s drawings done at the fencing school of Vigeant were included in Giron’s sketchbook from that year (Louvre Museum). Sargent inscribed the painting “to my friend” before gifting the wor...