Madeline History
MADELINE HISTORY Madeline was created in the late 1930’s by writer and artist, Ludwig Bemelmans. Viking first published Madeline in 1939. Ludwig wrote six Madeline books before he died in 1962. The original Madeline was named a Caldecott Honor Book, and the first of its five sequels, Madeline’s Rescue, received the Caldecott Gold Medal in 1954. Although Madeline was always a popular book title, Madeline has been become a phenomenon in recent years, with numerous Madeline merchandise, and a Madeline feature film released in 1998. Ludwig Bemelmans was born in Austria in 1898. When he was six years old, his father, Lampert Bemelmans, ran away with another woman. The woman, who became Lampert’s second wife, also left behind a spouse and young child. Not only was Ludwig’s mother pregnant at the time, but young Ludwig’s nanny was also pregnant with Lampert’s child. The nanny committed suicide and Ludwig and his mother moved to Germany, the home of her family. Ludwig’s mother, whose name was Madeline, told Ludwig many stories of how alone she had been as a little girl and how she grew up in a convent school run by nuns. His mother would describe, “how the girls slept in two rows and how they went walking in two straight lines, all dressed alike.” Ludwig’s mother was much happier at the convent than at home because her parents never had any time for her. Inspired by his mother’s convent stories, Ludwig created Madeline and the Madeline sequels. Ludwig’s love for adventure, fueled by his own early childhood experiences, was added to Madeline’s personality. Bemelmans’ grandson, John Bemelmans Marciano, is also a writer and artist. One day, Marciano was researching his grandfather’s work and found a complete manuscript and pencil sketches of a Madeline adventure in America. According to Marciano, the uncompleted work was originally a 1955 holiday promotion for Neiman-Marcus called “Madeline’s Christmas in Texas”. Every day from Thanksgiving to Christmas, a different line of Madeline verse appeared in the Dallas and Houston papers as part of an ad for Neiman Marcus. The verses and drawings were compiled into a booklet, which Neiman Marcus gave away. The stores windows were even decorated in a Madeline theme and Ludwig Bemelmans did the cover for the Neiman Marcus holiday catalog. After the promotion, Ludwig Bemelmans decided to turn the story into a full-length book but never finished. With great respect, Marciano completed the project and “Madeline in America” was added to the Madeline Collection. The original six Madeline books are now available both individually, as well as in a collector’s volume. The book titles are Madeline, Madeline and the Bad Hat, Madeline’s Rescue, Madeline and the Gypsies, Madeline in London, and Madeline’s Christmas. Since the first publication of Madeline in 1939, Ludwig Bemelmans’ Madeline books have sold more than ten million copies worldwide. Click here for Madeline products. This information is brought to you by Character Products Inc. DISCLAIMER: Madeline and all related characters and elements are the rightful property of ?. This web site is not operated or endorsed by ?. This page was created for informational purposes only. Although our intent was to provide accurate information, we are unable to guarantee accuracy and are willing to make corrections. Please see Character Product's Terms and Conditions for further details. Upon entering this site, you released Character Products Inc., and it's owners and operators from any liability for any material herein. We apologize for the inconvience of this diversion.