We all know the books of Dr. Seuss: The Cat in the Hat, Horton Hears a Who, Green Eggs and Ham, The Foot Book. But what many people may not know is that Dr. Seuss (aka Theodor Geisel) illustrated advertisements before his books became popular. The Mandeville Special Collections Library at the University of San Diego houses the Dr. Seuss Collection, which includes Seuss’ advertising artwork and political cartoons, as well as other materials related to his work.
The illustrative style used in the ads and cartoons is instantly recognizable as Dr. Seuss, albeit in a much different context than most would be used to. Much of the work during his advertising career was done for Flit, an insecticide, and Standard Oil, but Seuss also did ads for NBC, General Electric and Ford.
Filed under: Deliciousness
