Hold on to your cats in hats– a rare original watercolor of a rediscovered Dr. Seuss story will be available at our September 29 sale of Illustration Art.
Lot 95: Dr. Seuss, Tadd and Todd, ink and watercolor, 1950.
Estimate $12,000 to $18,000.
Tadd and Todd is a recently re-discovered tale by Theodor Geisel, the real name of beloved author Dr. Seuss. Largely forgotten after its appearance in Redbook in 1950, the story was given a second life by Seuss scholar Charles D. Cohen who gathered seven obscure Seuss works and published them in The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories with Random House in 2011. This original illustration depicts the crux of the tale wherein Tadd, the reluctant twin who longs for uniqueness, struts his newfound look of dyed red hair, a flower betwixt the toes of one bare foot, and balancing a curious collection of animals and other accoutrements.
Lot 95: Dr. Seuss, Tadd and Todd, ink and watercolor, 1950.
Estimate $12,000 to $18,000.
In his introduction to The Bippolo Seed, Cohen notes that these lost stories demonstrate a transitional period in Dr. Seuss’ oeuvre in which he shifts from prose to the rhythmic rhyming style for children for which he is now known. This work provides a rare glimpse into Dr. Seuss’ illustration process. For example, it is possible to see the many shades of watercolor pigment that make up what appears, in the final version, to be a plain wall. We get a peek into the production and publication process as well; the clipping notes are still visible, as is the publisher’s note on the verso.
Lot 95: Dr. Seuss, Tadd and Todd (verso), ink and watercolor, 1950.
Estimate $12,000 to $18,000.
Oh, the drawings you’ll find when you visit our full catalogue!
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