M c C L E E S   G A L L E R I E S

ESTABLISHED 1845

Ludwig Bemelmans

1898 – 1962

 Ludwig Bemelmans was born in Austria in 1898 and attended school in Germany until 1914.  He immigrated to the United States when he was 16, following a dispute where he shot someone. After a failed career as a waiter, he enlisted in the Army.  He later wrote about his military antics in his memoir "My War with the United States."  After World War I, he lived in New York became an illustrator for The New Yorker, Vogue, and Holiday magazines. Bemelmans' first children's book, “Hansi”, was published in 1934, and was followed by other moderately successful books.   The first book in the “Madeline” series was published in 1939.  He went on to write and illustrate many more books and he also became involved with show business, designing the set for a Broadway show and doing several projects in Hollywood.  Bemelmans died in 1962 in New York City.