Adolphe Barreaux was born in Hackensack, New Jersey, and studied at the Yale University School of Fine Arts. He had his first job as an illustrator with the Hopkins Advertising Agency in New Haven. His first short story was published in the pulp magazine Breezy Stories in 1921. After graduating from Yale, he settled in New York City where he began his professional career as an advertising artist, while also attending the Grand Central Art School in 1923. He made illustrations for magazines, and worked as a portrait painter from his studio on Fifth Avenue.
He was subsequently a partner in several ad agencies during the early 1930s. He became a highly productive artist for pulp magazines published by Harry Donenfeld from the 1930s to the 1950s, including romance, detective and mystery titles. He also made a comic strip called 'Flossie Flip' for one these titles, The Police Gazette. Barreaux and Donenfeld joined forces and founded Barreaux Studios. One of his best known creations of the time was the adult comic strip 'Sally the Sleuth', that appeared in Spicy Detective Stories from 1934. Barreaux drew the comic until 1942, when several other artists had their turn on the strip. Sally was soon followed by other comic characters, such as 'Dan Turner'.
By 1935 Barreaux also found the time to create the syndicated comic strip 'The Enchanted Stone of Time', and a year later he was also present in comic books like More Fun Comics and New Fun Comics. Barreaux renamed his business Majestic Studios, that he headed from 1936 to 1953. The studio produced a great many comic features for the comic book industry. These include work for companies like Ace ('The Black Spider', 'The Raven'), DC/National ('The Magic Crystal of History', 'Tad Among the Pirates'), Fox ('Flip Falcon', 'Patty O'Day') and Worth ('The Blazing Scarab', 'The Dragon's Teath').
He additionally made illustrations for children's books, and was editor-in-chief of Trojan Publishing (including Trojan Comics) from 1949 to 1952. Barreaux left the comic book field in 1953. He then began an association with Fawcett Publications, where he was an editor with subdivision Whitestone, and for the company's line of medical books. He passed away in New York City in October 1985.
