• Smithsonian
    Institution
  • Smithsonian
    Journeys
  • Smithsonian
    Store
  • Smithsonian
    Channel
  • goSmithsonian
    Visitors Guide
  • Air & Space
    magazine

Smithsonian.com

  • Subscribe
  • Home
  • History & Archaeology
  • People & Places
  • Science & Nature
  • Arts & Culture
  • Travel
  • Photos
  • Videos
  • Games & Puzzles
  • Blogs
  • Arts & Culture

The Man Who Dreamed Up Madeline

A dashing nonconformist himself, Ludwig Bemelmans conferred a winning waywardness on his headstrong heroine

  • By Robert Wernick
  • Smithsonian magazine, July 1998, Subscribe
 

 
Tweet

Article Tools

 
  • Comments
  • Font
  • Email
  • RSS
  • Print
  • One afternoon in the late 1930s, writer and artist Ludwig Bemelmans, Austrian-born but now living in New York City, sat sketching out the plot of a children's book. His idea involved a jaunty convent-school heroine, Madeline by name, whose adventures in Paris (with side trips to London and the French countryside) possessed a timeless and insouciant charm.

    Soon after Madeline appeared in 1939, the title began selling steadily for Viking. Today, of course, Madeline has become a phenomenon, the six titles having generated a flood of spin-offs, from backpacks and wristwatches to dolls and toothbrushes.

    Writer Robert Wernick (who himself lives half of each year in Paris) takes us behind the books to the man who created them. Like the character he created, Bemelmans, it turns out, was a true free spirit, a freewheeling, free-spending, freelance writer-artist who brought his own quirky joie de vivre to his creations. He once wrote to an editor that he had a line ready to be incised on his tombstone: "Tell Them It Was Wonderful." From Vienna to Paris to New York and back to France again, Madeline's many fans will discover, life was indeed a lark for the footloose and fancy-free Ludwig Bemelmans.


    One afternoon in the late 1930s, writer and artist Ludwig Bemelmans, Austrian-born but now living in New York City, sat sketching out the plot of a children's book. His idea involved a jaunty convent-school heroine, Madeline by name, whose adventures in Paris (with side trips to London and the French countryside) possessed a timeless and insouciant charm.

    Soon after Madeline appeared in 1939, the title began selling steadily for Viking. Today, of course, Madeline has become a phenomenon, the six titles having generated a flood of spin-offs, from backpacks and wristwatches to dolls and toothbrushes.

    Writer Robert Wernick (who himself lives half of each year in Paris) takes us behind the books to the man who created them. Like the character he created, Bemelmans, it turns out, was a true free spirit, a freewheeling, free-spending, freelance writer-artist who brought his own quirky joie de vivre to his creations. He once wrote to an editor that he had a line ready to be incised on his tombstone: "Tell Them It Was Wonderful." From Vienna to Paris to New York and back to France again, Madeline's many fans will discover, life was indeed a lark for the footloose and fancy-free Ludwig Bemelmans.

        Subscribe now for more of Smithsonian's coverage on history, science and nature.


    Tweet Digg
     
    Comments

    Post a Comment


    Name: (required)

    Email: (required)

    Comment:

    Comments are moderated, and will not appear until Smithsonian.com has approved them. Smithsonian reserves the right not to post any comments that are unlawful, threatening, offensive, defamatory, invasive of a person's privacy, inappropriate, confidential or proprietary, political messages, product endorsements, or other content that might otherwise violate any laws or policies.



    Advertisement




    View full archiveRecent Issues


    • Feb 2012


    • Jan 2012


    • Dec 2011

    Newsletter

    Sign up for regular email updates from Smithsonian magazine, including free newsletters, special offers and current news updates.

    Subscribe Now

    About Us

    Smithsonian.com expands on Smithsonian magazine's in-depth coverage of history, science, nature, the arts, travel, world culture and technology. Join us regularly as we take a dynamic and interactive approach to exploring modern and historic perspectives on the arts, sciences, nature, world culture and travel, including videos, blogs and a reader forum.

    Explore our Brands

    • goSmithsonian.com
    • Smithsonian Air & Space Museum
    • Smithsonian Student Travel
    • Smithsonian Catalogue
    • Smithsonian Journeys
    • Smithsonian Channel
    • Site Map
    • Privacy Policy
    • Copyright
    • Member Services
    • About Smithsonian
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising
    • Subscribe
    • RSS
    • Topics

    Smithsonian Institution

    Produced by Clickability