of Honour. He was also promoted to officer of the Legion of Honour by decree on May 26, 1914. Guirand de Scévola also created several pieces in which his wife played. He illustrated the tales she published, such as La Galante Aventure du Roi Jean XV (1928).

The Art of Camouflage

Mobilized since the beginning of the First World War, Lucien-Victor Guirand de Scévola is considered one of the inventors of the military camouflage; the credit also goes to Eugène Corbin and his friend, decorator Louis Guignot. The original idea was to cover the pieces of artillery with painted canvases, melting in the landscape to avoid their detection by the enemy. The two artists who did not know each other met in October 1914 and officially formed an ‘art team’.But it was finally Guirand de Scévola, who was an influential man in Paris, who used his relationships to promote the use of camouflage.

In February 1915, following conclusive tests, it was decided to set Toul as the first camouflage center, where Guirand de Scévola took the lead. Several artists were mobilized to this new autonomous section. Supported by his wife Marie-Thérèse Piérat, Guirand de Scévola (then a gunner in the 6th regiment of artillery on foot, promoted quickly to captain) used his high relations among the members of the government to inform the military authorities of the experiments carried out in Toul. Armed with the support of General Castelnau, leader of the II Army, and the interest of President Raymond Poincaré, he finally persuaded the high command of