An air of mystery surrounds the enigmatic French-born Charles Giroux. Exact birth and death dates and places are unknown, though he was active in New Orleans from roughly 1860 to 1885, a span in which he appeared sparingly in city directories with occupations listed as either cotton broker or painter.

Equipped with a romantic palette, Giroux captured lush Louisiana landscapes in small-scale oil paintings—Cotton Plantation, his most cited work, measures 14 by 23 inches—renowned for their great depth, extensive vanishing point usage, and fine finished surfaces.

Pioneering female New Orleans artist and socialite Blanche Blanchard made spurious claims of collaborating with Giroux, though it is legend she simply added her ...