From: Le Samedi (1941).
Yvette Lapointe was a mid-20th century French-Canadian comic artist and illustrator. She goes down in history as one of the earliest female Canadian comic artists, particularly from the province of Québec. Most of her work was concentrated in one decade, between 1932 and 1942, and her signature series was 'Les Petits Espiègles' (1933).
Early life and career
Yvette Lapointe was born in 1912 in Montréal. At an early age, she showed talent for drawing. In 1932, she published her first work in the weekly magazine L'Illustration under the title 'Pourquoi?'. This comic strip ran for about a year and mostly revolved around observational comedy regarding men and women. On 27 May 1933, the first episode of her best known comic strip, 'Les Petits Espiègles', appeared in the newspaper La Patrie. It starred two young children, Réal and Mimi Pistache, in charming recognizable everyday events. The characters were inspired by her own little brothers and sisters. 'Les Petits Espiègles' ran for only four months, after which Lapointe returned to her previous cartoons about adult relationships. In the 1940s, she also contributed to the weekend publications Le Samedi and La Presse.
'Les Petits Espiègles'. Translation: "Well, I'm also going to grow up. Mommy, if I marry, will I have a husband like daddy?" - "Yes, little Mimi." - "And if I don't marry, can I become an old girl like aunt Sophie?" - "Of course." - "We women have nothing but luck in this world."
Later life and career
Yvette Lapointe was also active illustrating advertisements, for instance for Nugget shoes. In 1943, she got married and retired from her graphic career. She had four children. Yvette Lapointe passed away in 1994. Somewhat faded away in obscurity, she enjoyed a revival in 2017, when her work was exhibited during the 30th edition of the Festival de la BD Francophone de Québec. For the occasion, she was posthumously awarded the Prix Albert-Chartier. Her four sons, all active in the field of mathematics, were present during the ceremony.
From: Le Samedi (1941).