226
●
DR. SEUSS [THEODOR GEISEL].
The Mortal Enemies.
Pen and ink drawing on card.Advertisement for Flit insecticide. 215x360 mm; 8
1
/
4
x14 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.
[15,000/20,000]
EARLY 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 some-
times the bugs Ted drew were too lovable to kill”—Morgan, Judith & Neil, Dr. Seuss & Mr. Geisel,
page 65.
