Madeline in a Garden with Windmill Original Art twelve little girls

"In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines, lived twelve little girls in two straight lines." In this sumptuous Bemelman's illustration, we see the artist's iconic two-line formation of meandering little French jeunes filles. They are all adorned in their iconic dress, accented with a bright yellow, wide-brimmed straw hat with a ribbon tied in a bow down the back. At the back of the group is Miss Clavel holding hands with a joyful Madeline who waves to the viewer. A windmill serves as a backdrop on this bright sunny day. The girls are seen walking through a garden rich with fresh blossoming flowers and populated with cute little creatures. In the extreme left corner, a rabbit stands on its back legs, watching the procession of little French schoolgirls, while a mouse, butterflies, and a dragonfly go about their business. This is an uplifting picture that fills the viewer with hope, peace, and a buoyant feeling of joy. At the end of a long, stressful day, sit down and take in this Bemelmans, and your anxieties simply melt away.
LUDWIG BEMELMANS (1898-1962)
Madeline in a garden with a windmill
signed 'Bemelmans' (lower right), signed again and inscribed 'To William/Grey Stream/Ludwig Bemelmans' (on the reverse)
mixed media on paper mounted on paperboard
30 x 221⁄4 in. (76.2 x 56.5 cm.)
Framed without glass. The frame is distressed
Provenance
The artist.
William Grey Stream, gift from the above.
By descent to the present owner from the above.
Christie's New York