Jan 23, 2014 - Sale 2337

Sale 2337 - Lot 226

Price Realized: $ 12,800
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 15,000 - $ 20,000
DR. SEUSS [THEODOR GEISEL.]
The Mortal Enemies. Pen and ink drawing on card. Advertisement for Flit insecticide. 215x360 mm; 8 1/4x14 inches, sheet. Signed in ink, lower left and captioned in Seuss's hand in pencil, lower margin. Few small light marginal smudges, faint impression from paperclip at upper left margin with light rust stain visible on verso only. On exhibition mount. Circa 1930s.
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Additional Details

early original drawing, an excellent detailed example of one of seuss's famous flit insecticide advertisements. Without the famous tagline ("Quick Henry, the Flit!"), and scarce as such. Depicts two grimacing insects facing off against one another with Flit guns darting from their eyes. "The series found its way into histories of advertising, and was compared with the Burma Shave series of ubiquitous roadside rhymes. The nearest thing to criticism was an agency warning that sometimes the bugs Ted drew were too lovable to kill"--Morgan, Judith & Neil, Dr. Seuss & Mr. Geisel, page 65.