Martin van Maële
Encyclopedia
Martin van Maële was a French
illustrator
of early 20th century literature
. He is renowned for his work in the field of erotic literature
. He was born in the commune of Boulogne sur Seine, once an important industrial town, near Paris, France.
). His pseudonym
, Martin van Maële, is a combination of his mother's maiden name and his father's surname. He also sometimes used the pseudonym A. Van Troizem.
He married Marie Françoise Genet; the couple had no children. He died on September 5, 1926, aged 62, and was interred in the cemetery of Varennes-Jarcy
.
as well as Paris
, and his best known work – consisting among other things of an illustrated edition of Paul Verlaine
's poems – was published in small, secretive editions by publisher Charles Carrington
. The prints are considered both humoristic and satirical, sometimes cynical.
Van Maële's career is said to have really began with his illustrations for H. G. Wells
in Les Premiers Hommes dans la Lune (or The First Men in the Moon
), published by Felix Juven in 1901.
The title later became the classic 1902 sci-fi silent film
called Le Voyage Dans La Lune
, produced by Georges Méliès
. Van Maële also illustrated Anatole France's
Thais
, published by Charles Carrington, also in 1901. The following year, and occasionally thereafter, van Maële worked as an illustrator for the Felix Juven's French translations of the Sherlock Holmes
series.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
of early 20th century literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
. He is renowned for his work in the field of erotic literature
Erotic literature
Erotic literature comprises fictional and factual stories and accounts of human sexual relationships which have the power to or are intended to arouse the reader sexually. Such erotica takes the form of novels, short stories, poetry, true-life memoirs, and sex manuals...
. He was born in the commune of Boulogne sur Seine, once an important industrial town, near Paris, France.
Family relationships
His parents were Virginie Mathilde Jeanne van Maële and Louis Alfred Martin (himself an engraver and later a teacher at the Beaux-Arts school in GenevaGeneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
). His pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
, Martin van Maële, is a combination of his mother's maiden name and his father's surname. He also sometimes used the pseudonym A. Van Troizem.
He married Marie Françoise Genet; the couple had no children. He died on September 5, 1926, aged 62, and was interred in the cemetery of Varennes-Jarcy
Varennes-Jarcy
Varennes-Jarcy ) is a commune in the Essonne department in northern France, located between Périgny and Combs-la-Ville 25 km from the center of Paris.Inhabitants of Varennes-Jarcy are known as Varennois....
.
Life and career
Little is known about the life of Martin van Maële. He worked at BrusselsBrussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
as well as Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and his best known work – consisting among other things of an illustrated edition of Paul Verlaine
Paul Verlaine
Paul-Marie Verlaine was a French poet associated with the Symbolist movement. He is considered one of the greatest representatives of the fin de siècle in international and French poetry.-Early life:...
's poems – was published in small, secretive editions by publisher Charles Carrington
Charles Carrington
Charles Carrington was a leading British publisher of erotica in late-19th and early 20th century Europe. Born Paul Harry Ferdinando in Bethnal Green, England on 11 November 1867, he moved in 1895 from London to Paris where he published and sold books in the rue Faubourg Montmartre and rue de...
. The prints are considered both humoristic and satirical, sometimes cynical.
Van Maële's career is said to have really began with his illustrations for H. G. Wells
H. G. Wells
Herbert George Wells was an English author, now best known for his work in the science fiction genre. He was also a prolific writer in many other genres, including contemporary novels, history, politics and social commentary, even writing text books and rules for war games...
in Les Premiers Hommes dans la Lune (or The First Men in the Moon
The First Men in the Moon
The First Men in the Moon is a 1901 scientific romance novel by the English author H. G. Wells. The novel tells the story of a journey to the moon undertaken by the two protagonists, the impoverished businessman Mr Bedford and the brilliant but eccentric scientist Dr. Cavor...
), published by Felix Juven in 1901.
The title later became the classic 1902 sci-fi silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
called Le Voyage Dans La Lune
Le Voyage dans la Lune
A Trip to the Moon is a 1902 French black-and-white silent science fiction film. It is based loosely on two popular novels of the time: Jules Verne's From the Earth to the Moon and H. G. Wells' The First Men in the Moon....
, produced by Georges Méliès
Georges Méliès
Georges Méliès , full name Marie-Georges-Jean Méliès, was a French filmmaker famous for leading many technical and narrative developments in the earliest cinema. He was very innovative in the use of special effects...
. Van Maële also illustrated Anatole France's
Anatole France
Anatole France , born François-Anatole Thibault, , was a French poet, journalist, and novelist. He was born in Paris, and died in Saint-Cyr-sur-Loire. He was a successful novelist, with several best-sellers. Ironic and skeptical, he was considered in his day the ideal French man of letters...
Thais
Thaïs (novel)
Thaïs is a novel by Anatole France published in 1890. It is based on events in the life of Saint Thaïs of Egypt, a legendary convert to Christianity who is said to have lived in the 4th century...
, published by Charles Carrington, also in 1901. The following year, and occasionally thereafter, van Maële worked as an illustrator for the Felix Juven's French translations of the Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
series.
Drawings
- Anatole FranceAnatole FranceAnatole France , born François-Anatole Thibault, , was a French poet, journalist, and novelist. He was born in Paris, and died in Saint-Cyr-sur-Loire. He was a successful novelist, with several best-sellers. Ironic and skeptical, he was considered in his day the ideal French man of letters...
, Thaïs, Charles CarringtonCharles CarringtonCharles Carrington was a leading British publisher of erotica in late-19th and early 20th century Europe. Born Paul Harry Ferdinando in Bethnal Green, England on 11 November 1867, he moved in 1895 from London to Paris where he published and sold books in the rue Faubourg Montmartre and rue de...
, Paris, 1901. - Wilhelm ReinhardWilhelm ReinhardWilhelm "Willi" Reinhard was a German pilot during World War I. Reinhard was born in Düsseldorf and became a flying ace during the war, credited with 20 victories....
(translated by Jean de Villiot), La flagellation des femmes en Allemagne, Charles CarringtonCharles CarringtonCharles Carrington was a leading British publisher of erotica in late-19th and early 20th century Europe. Born Paul Harry Ferdinando in Bethnal Green, England on 11 November 1867, he moved in 1895 from London to Paris where he published and sold books in the rue Faubourg Montmartre and rue de...
, Paris, 1901. 20 drawings. - Margaret Anson (translated by Jean de Villiot), Une société de flagellantes. Réminiscences et révélations d’une soubrette de grande maison..., Charles CarringtonCharles CarringtonCharles Carrington was a leading British publisher of erotica in late-19th and early 20th century Europe. Born Paul Harry Ferdinando in Bethnal Green, England on 11 November 1867, he moved in 1895 from London to Paris where he published and sold books in the rue Faubourg Montmartre and rue de...
, Paris, 1902. - Anatole FranceAnatole FranceAnatole France , born François-Anatole Thibault, , was a French poet, journalist, and novelist. He was born in Paris, and died in Saint-Cyr-sur-Loire. He was a successful novelist, with several best-sellers. Ironic and skeptical, he was considered in his day the ideal French man of letters...
(translated by A. R. Allinson), The Well of Santa Clara (Le puits de Sainte Claire), Charles CarringtonCharles CarringtonCharles Carrington was a leading British publisher of erotica in late-19th and early 20th century Europe. Born Paul Harry Ferdinando in Bethnal Green, England on 11 November 1867, he moved in 1895 from London to Paris where he published and sold books in the rue Faubourg Montmartre and rue de...
, Paris, 1903. - Jean de Villiot, Dix-sept ans : étude sociale, Charles CarringtonCharles CarringtonCharles Carrington was a leading British publisher of erotica in late-19th and early 20th century Europe. Born Paul Harry Ferdinando in Bethnal Green, England on 11 November 1867, he moved in 1895 from London to Paris where he published and sold books in the rue Faubourg Montmartre and rue de...
, Paris, 1905. Drawings. - ApuléeApuleiusApuleius was a Latin prose writer. He was a Berber, from Madaurus . He studied Platonist philosophy in Athens; travelled to Italy, Asia Minor and Egypt; and was an initiate in several cults or mysteries. The most famous incident in his life was when he was accused of using magic to gain the...
(translated by Jean de Montlyard), L'Âne d'or, Charles CarringtonCharles CarringtonCharles Carrington was a leading British publisher of erotica in late-19th and early 20th century Europe. Born Paul Harry Ferdinando in Bethnal Green, England on 11 November 1867, he moved in 1895 from London to Paris where he published and sold books in the rue Faubourg Montmartre and rue de...
, Paris, 1905. 21 eaux-fortes. New edition by Jean de Bonnot, Paris, 1991. - Paul VerlainePaul VerlainePaul-Marie Verlaine was a French poet associated with the Symbolist movement. He is considered one of the greatest representatives of the fin de siècle in international and French poetry.-Early life:...
, La Trilogie érotique : Amies, Femmes, Hombres, Charles CarringtonCharles CarringtonCharles Carrington was a leading British publisher of erotica in late-19th and early 20th century Europe. Born Paul Harry Ferdinando in Bethnal Green, England on 11 November 1867, he moved in 1895 from London to Paris where he published and sold books in the rue Faubourg Montmartre and rue de...
, Bruxelles, 1907. 15 drawings. - Aimé Van Rod, Nos Belles flagellantes, Paris, 1907. 10 drawings.
- Pierre Choderlos de LaclosPierre Choderlos de LaclosPierre Ambroise François Choderlos de Laclos was a French novelist, official and army general, best known for writing the epistolary novel Les Liaisons dangereuses ....
, Les Liaisons dangereusesLes Liaisons dangereusesLes Liaisons dangereuses is a French epistolary novel by Choderlos de Laclos, first published in four volumes by Durand Neveu from March 23, 1782....
, Jules Chevrel, Paris, 1908. 20 drawings. - Jules MicheletJules MicheletJules Michelet was a French historian. He was born in Paris to a family with Huguenot traditions.-Early life:His father was a master printer, not very prosperous, and Jules assisted him in the actual work of the press...
, La Sorcière, Jules Chevrel, Paris, 1911. New edition by Jean de Bonnot, 1987. - Edgar Allan PoeEdgar Allan PoeEdgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
(translated by Charles BaudelaireCharles BaudelaireCharles Baudelaire was a French poet who produced notable work as an essayist, art critic, and pioneering translator of Edgar Allan Poe. His most famous work, Les Fleurs du mal expresses the changing nature of beauty in modern, industrializing Paris during the nineteenth century...
, Dix contes, Librairie Dorbon-Ainé, Paris, 1912. 95 engravings by Eugène Dété. - Denis DiderotDenis DiderotDenis Diderot was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer. He was a prominent person during the Enlightenment and is best known for serving as co-founder and chief editor of and contributor to the Encyclopédie....
, La Religieuse, Jules Chevrel, Paris 1916. - SadinetPierre Mac OrlanPierre Mac Orlan, sometimes written MacOrlan, was a French novelist and songwriter.His novel Quai des Brumes was the source for Marcel Carné's 1938 film of the same name, starring Jean Gabin...
, Petites cousines : souvenirs érotiques d'un homme de qualité touchant les jolies petites cousines... les bonnes à tout faire... les femmes du monde et les belles filles de province, À la folie du jour (Jean Fort), 1919. Drawings attributed to Van Maele. - Claude de Saint-HieblePierre Mac OrlanPierre Mac Orlan, sometimes written MacOrlan, was a French novelist and songwriter.His novel Quai des Brumes was the source for Marcel Carné's 1938 film of the same name, starring Jean Gabin...
, L'Instrument des apothécaires, Jean Fort, coll. « Les Amis du bon vieux temps », Paris, 1920. - Edmond Haraucourt, La Légende des sexes, Au Clos Bruneau, Paris, 1921. 12 gravings.
- François Béroalde de Verville, Le Moyen de parvenir, Jean Fort, Paris, 1921. 18 coloured drawings and 65 small drawings.
- Pierre FélyPascal PiaPascal Pia, born Pierre Durand , was a French writer, journalist, illustrator and scholar. He also used the pseudonyms Pascal Rose, Pascal Fely and others....
, Les Princesses de Cythère, chronique libertine de l'histoire., Jean Fort, coll. « Les Amis du bon vieux temps », Paris, 1922. - Charles Sorel, L'Histoire comique de Francion. En laquelle sont découvertes les plus subtiles finesses et trompeuses inventions tant des hommes que des femmes de toutes sortes de conditions et d’âges., Jean Fort, Paris, 1925. 17 drawings and 16 compositions.
- Pierre de JusangePierre Mac OrlanPierre Mac Orlan, sometimes written MacOrlan, was a French novelist and songwriter.His novel Quai des Brumes was the source for Marcel Carné's 1938 film of the same name, starring Jean Gabin...
, La Comtesse au fouet, Jean Fort, Paris, 1926. 7 drawings. - Docteur Gastien FowlerPierre Mac OrlanPierre Mac Orlan, sometimes written MacOrlan, was a French novelist and songwriter.His novel Quai des Brumes was the source for Marcel Carné's 1938 film of the same name, starring Jean Gabin...
, Maison des flagellations, Jean Fort, Collection des Orties Blanches, Paris, 1926. - Pierre l'Arétin, Dialogues, Jean Fort, 1927. 66 drawings and 10 drawings. Van Maele died while the drawings were being made, so some are by Luc Lafnet.
- OvideOvidPublius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...
, Les amours ; L'art d'aimer ; Les Héroïdes ; Les remèdes d'amour ; Les cosmétiques, Jean de Bonnot, Paris, 2000. - Conan DoyleConan DoyleConan Doyle is a rugby player. His club is Garryowen. His usual position is inside centre, but he also plays out-half. He has made two appearances for Munster Rugby in the Magners League, but was released by Munster at the end of the 2008/2009 season. While at Munster he was selected for the...
, Aventures Extraordinaires, 15 drawings, Librairie Félix Juven, Paris, 1902.
Others
- Martin van Maële, La Grande Danse macabre des vifs, Charles Carrington, 1905. 40 drawings. New edition by Déesse, Nanterre, 1980.
- Martin van Maële, The satyrical drawings of Martin van Maele, Cythera Press, New York, 1970.
External links
- The Erotica Bibliophile Martin van Maële
- History of Art: Erotica in Art - Martin van Maële