Ludwig Bemelmans was an Austrian and American writer and illustrator of children's books and adult novels. He is known best for the Madeline picture books. Six were published, the first in 1939.
Bemelmans spent the next several years working at hotels and restaurants in the United States. In 1917, he joined the U.S. Army, but was not sent to Europe because of his German origins. Bemelmans became an officer and was promoted to Second Lieutenant. He writes of his experiences in the Army in the book, My War With the United States. In 1918, Bemelmans became an American citizen.
In the 1920s, Bemelmans tried to become an artist and painter while working at hotels, but had substantial difficulties. In 1926, he quit his job at the Ritz-Carlton in New York to become a full-time cartoonist. Bemelmans' cartoon series The Thrilling Adventures of the Count Bric a Brac was dropped from the New York World after six months. He associated with Ervine Metzl, a commercial artist and illustrator who is variously described as Bemelmans's friend, agent, and ghost artist.
