The French naturalists Jules Verreaux was scientific director of the Maison Verreaux, the foremost supplier of natural history specimens in the world at the time. The company was founded by Pierre-Jacques Verreaux in 1800, and was resuscitated in 1834 by his three sons, Jules, Edouard, and Alexis. Jules was also associated with the Muséum National D'Histoire Naturelle, and undertook three major collecting trips for the museum: South Africa in 1818; Tasmania and Australia in 1842, reportedly returning home with some 115,000 items.

In 1862, Jules replaced Florent Prévost as assistant naturalist to the Muséum, mainly on his reputation as an expert on exotic birds. His experience as a field naturalist influenced his approach to taxidermy, and he was critical of taxidermists who did not endeavour to observe specimens in the wild as part of their practice. Verreaux is perhaps most famous for his theatrical taxidermy, particularly the sensational Arab Courier Attacked by Lions, which won the gold medal for excellence at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1869.

links: read more from South Pacific Taxidermy: http://www.southpacifictaxidermy.com/html/brothers.htm