He came from a Swiss Huguenot family. His father, Paul Girardet, was a copper engraver. His brothers, Jules, Eugène, Paul Armand and Léon, as well as his sister, Julia Antonine (1851-1921), also became painters or engravers.
He studied painting at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris with Alexandre Cabanel. He eventually decided to specialize in wood-engraving and worked in the studios of Eugène Froment [fr]. He also took some lessons from Auguste Trichon [fr].
He remained in Paris, where he specialized in wood-engravings which were used as illustrations for newspapers and magazines, such as Le Monde illustré, L'Illustration and Le Tour du Monde; often based on designs by his brother-in-law, Eugène Burnand, or other family members. He was also active in the advertising industry, which was very lucrative, and exhibited at his work the Paris Salon.
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