'Nine aux Pays des Merveilles' (Nine #8, 27 January 1944).
Madeleine Gérard was a mid-20th century Belgian illustrator and comic artist, active for several youth magazines during the 1940s, including Nine, Lutin, Stop, Grand Coeur and Petits Belges. Since they appeared in the same titles, she was most likely associated with the graphic arts atelier of Charles Gilbert from Liège.
Anne Marie
Not much is known about Madeleine Gérard's background. Most of her artistic career was spent during the World War II years, when Nazi Germany occupied Belgium. Starting in 1940, her signature first appeared in issue #6 of Anne Marie, a women's weekly published by J. Noseda and controlled by the Belgian far-right party Rex. For several years, she illustrated the editorials of Lisy Nevraumont, in which she stood out for her fashion drawings. After a while, the editorial team was reinforced by the artist Charles Gilbert (AKA Chargil) and his graphic arts atelier. From then on, much of Madeleine Gérard's media associations went in tandem with Charles Gilbert.
Under the pen name Mimage, Madeleine Gérard contributed the comic strip 'Chourinette', about a friendly girl who in her dreams sees the things that she wants, from fashionable clothes to welcoming restaurants. The strip also took inspiration from the deprivations of the war era, for instance phones that do not work, swindlers, and milkmen who deliver watered down milk. However, the comic steered clear from actual social criticism, considering its publisher was associated with a pro-German political party. Another comic strip by Mimage in Anne Marie was 'Les Aventures de Pernette', about a young woman confronted with the vagaries of everyday life. It is possible the artist was inspired by 'Kitty Inno', a character created by Willy Vandersteen for Entre Nous.
'Chourinette'. Translation: "How did you find the beefsteak, Madame?" - "While flipping a fry."
Nine
In 1943, Anne Marie's editorial team was also responsible for the launch of Nine (and its Dutch edition Nina), a small-format weekly magazine for children, published by the Société des Éditions Féminines. Edited by Lisy Nevraumont, AKA "Tante Lisy", the magazine contained illustrated fairy tales, editorial sections and a couple of comic strips, with most of the illustrations provided by Madeleine Gérard and Charles Gilbert.
Together with a writer known only as "Marie Noëlle", Madeleine Gérard created the title comic 'Nine au Pays des Merveilles' (1944), a fairy tale serial in which the character of Nine enters the marble palace of the Fairy Queen. She eats in the company of red-dressed elves, and explores the palace with nymphs. In the park, she is welcomed by the flowers and a white lion. Suddenly, Merlin the wizard sows confusion in the palace and Nine has to flee. Luckily, her mother then wakes her up - it was all just a dream.
Other comics and picture in Nine were created by Charles Gilbert and his atelier, such as 'Les Aventures de Tip et Top' and 'Nine en Famille', as well an unknown artist called "H. Duc" ('Patchoun et Pitchounette'). Both Anne Marie and Nine came to an end after the Liberation of Belgium in August 1944.
Post-war career
A few weeks after the disappearance of Nine, both Madeleine Gérard and Charles Gilbert transferred to Lutin, a newly launched weekly magazine for boys and girls, published by J. Renault. A couple of weeks later, the publisher also launched a general magazine called Stop, with much of the same contributors. Using the pen name Madge, Gérard provided many illustrations, mostly about fashion, while the Gilbert team created comic features. The magazines came to and in 1945 (Lutin) and 1946 (Stop). In the second half of the 1940s, Madeleine Gérard's artwork additionaly appeared in Charles Gilbert's own magazine Grand Coeur and in Petits Belges, published by Bonne Presse in Averbode. Her further whereabouts are unknown.
Story illustrations for the covers of Nine issues #29 and #31.