Ludwig Bemelmans (1898-1963)

Ludwig Bemelmans was an American writer and illustrator best known for his picture books portraying the adventures of Madeline, a young girl living in a Parisian boarding school. This particular scene is from his children’s novel Madeline and the Bad Hat, a story relating the misbehaviors of the Spanish Ambassador’s son Pepito upon his arrival next door. The illustration depicts Madeline and her friends attempting to glimpse their new neighbors, peaking curiously over the shared wall. In this moment, their caretaker Miss Clavel states, “Look, my darlings, what bliss, what joy!” Little did they realize the trouble that this new addition would bring to the neighborhood.