François Vanhamme was a Belgian painter, who also ventured into comics and illustrations in the 1940s. He was present in the Walloon magazine Spirou and its Flemish counterpart Robbedoes from the start in 1938, illustrating text stories that appeared under the label 'Anciens Belges'. In 1941 and 1942 he drew the comic story 'Le Navire Fantôme' ('Het Spookschip').