The Seuss, the Whole Seuss and Nothing But the Seuss: A Visual Biography of Theodor Seuss Geisel by Tien Le

(1) The Beginning - March 2nd, 1904

letie001 — 2024-04-01 19:46:02 UTC

Theodor Seuss Geisel, otherwise known as Dr. Seuss, was born on this fateful day.

"Two years later, on Wednesday, March 2, 1904, the future Dr. Seuss-Theodor 'Ted' Seuss Geisel- began his life..." (15).

(2) His Earliest Inspirations - Sometime around 1907

letie001 — 2024-04-02 17:13:37 UTC

Theodor, or Ted, read a lot of books written by Hillaire Belloc that were aimed at teaching children obedience with twisted stories. Ted did not resonate with the contents of the book itself but he enjoyed the rhyming and improbable events that inspires his later style.

(3) First Published Work - February 7, 1919

letie001 — 2024-04-02 17:20:36 UTC

His first published work was a parody of the poem "O Captain! My Captain!" and titled "O Latin" in the Recorder.

"One of his first published pieces was 'O Latin,' a parody of the Whitman poem 'O Captain! My Captain!' (25).

(4) New Beginnings at Dartmouth - September 22, 1921

letie001 — 2024-04-02 19:02:38 UTC

Ted was accepted into Dartmouth where he lived in a hall with L. Bronner Jr., Cornelius Klutz and Herbert Franklin Abrams. One of his neighbors, L. Bronner Jr., was a member of the literary-arts magazine, the Jack-O-Lantern, and Ted took full advantage of that fact and submitted work that was published in the first issue of the year. Just 2 months in, Ted was elected class treasure and chosen as an art editor of the freshman publication. He later joined the art staff of the magazine where he drew a variety of cartoons that were based on puns.

(5) A Case of Curious Creatures

letie001 — 2024-04-03 17:07:37 UTC

The Jack-O-Lantern showcases Ted's imaginative mind through his creation of wacky and wild animals. Here, he created characters with exaggerated details and fantastical elements that prelude his later style as Dr. Seuss.

"...the Jack-O-Lantern provides the first glimpses into the strange beasts that would later become such an integral part of Ted's children's books" (41).

(6) A Seussian Pseudonym - April 25, 1925

letie001 — 2024-04-03 19:34:10 UTC

On April 25, 1925, Ted signed his cartoons with Seuss, making it the first appearance of Seuss as his pseudonym.

"This was the first time that Ted has ever used his middle name-his mother's maiden name-to identify any of his works" (59).

Bibliography

letie001 — 2024-04-04 16:12:22 UTC

Cohen, Charles D. The Seuss, the Whole Seuss and Nothing But the Seuss: A Visual Biography of

Theodor Seuss Geisel. Random House Children's Books, 2004.

(7) Meeting the Bride - 1924-1927

letie001 — 2024-04-04 16:30:33 UTC

After graduation at Dartmouth, Ted eventually went to England to pursue graduate work in English. He was then introduced to Helen Marion Palmer where he became engaged to her after a few months. He would then marry her in November of 1927.

(8) Across the Nation - July 16, 1927

letie001 — 2024-04-04 16:35:18 UTC

Ted's first nationally published cartoon was based on the Lawrence of Arabia and featured people riding upon 2 camels in a desert being pulled by a black person with extremely exaggerated details that are racist.

(10) Flitting About - May 31, 1928 - September 1929

letie001 — 2024-04-04 17:00:07 UTC

After creating a few series for Judge, he created cartoons that featured an insecticide known as Flit. This led to his partnership with Flit and the first advertisement for it on May 31, 1928. The advertisements exploded in popularity and a collection of them was published in September of 1929, the first time that something was published with exclusively Dr. Seuss' cartoons.

"The advertisements themselves became so popular over the next two years that, by September 1929, a collection of them was printed..." (85).

(9) Establishing His Style - 1928

letie001 — 2024-04-04 17:22:04 UTC

Ted signed a cartoon with the moniker, "Dr. Seuss," for the first time in a 1928 Judge cartoon. He also began to incorporate more outlandish and bizarre elements in his cartoons that would be key for his later style.

"The first artwork that Ted Geisel ever signed as "Dr. Seuss" appeared six months into his time with Judge" (86).

(11) Rising Opportunities - 1930

letie001 — 2024-04-04 19:40:51 UTC

With his newfound fame, Dr. Seuss had access to a multitude of new opportunities. He was tasked with creating a variety of commissioned paintings, oil murals and even a mural upon the walls of a room inside a house.

(13) And to Think That I Saw it Published - September 1937

letie001 — 2024-04-04 23:36:19 UTC

The first children's book written by Dr. Seuss was published in September of 1937. And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street was a book that showcased the wildly imaginative mind of Dr. Seuss.

"In September 1937, under the revised title And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, Ted's first children's book was published..." (184).

(14) Political Issues and Stances - June 1942

letie001 — 2024-04-04 23:48:24 UTC

Dr. Seuss used his cartoons to help combat racial prejudice that was very prevalent during the time. He would depict Uncle Sam spreading racial injustice to the youth. He would also make cartoons that showed Hitler's cruel treatment of Jews.

(16) Propaganda Pictures - 1946-1948

letie001 — 2024-04-04 23:59:56 UTC

Ted began to work with Warner Bros.' West Coast studios but later switched to RKO. Alongside Helen, he developed Design for Death which won the Best Feature-Length Documentary.

(17) The Disturbingly Dark Dr. T - 1952-1953

letie001 — 2024-04-05 00:03:32 UTC

After creating The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T, Dr. Seuss said that he hated the film and the time he spent on it. The film had a plot that parallels the actions of Adolf Hitler, with Dr. T as a villain that brainwashes people to fulfill his vision. In the film, a lot of his iconic style could be seen with the props and costumes.

"...the consensus is that Ted abhorred both the film and the experience" (286).

(12) A Sea of Words - 1932-1936

letie001 — 2024-04-05 16:08:11 UTC

His success with drawing cartoons for advertisements continued when he began to draw cartoons for Esso, a group of lubricants for cars and engines. When Esso began to enter the boating world, they started with a booklet ad campaign known as Secrets of the Deep which contained Dr. Seuss' illustrations and text. Eventually, in 1936, Dr. Seuss created the famous Seuss Navy.

(15) A New Path Forward - January 7, 1943

letie001 — 2024-04-05 16:50:25 UTC

Ted was inducted into the army in January and soon became a captain. In the army, he helped to create Private SNAFU, a character in army newsreels. He used humor to help sell army policy and teamed up with animators to help educate troops. In the army, he would eventually become a Major and then a Lieutenant Colonel. He was discharged on January 8, 1946.

(18) A True Doctor - 1955

letie001 — 2024-04-05 17:10:11 UTC

Despite using the alias, "Dr. Seuss," for decades, Dr. Seuss did not have a doctorate until 1955 when Dartmouth College awarded him an honorary doctorate. He was now officially, Dr. Seuss.

"...the 'Doctor' became official when his alma mater, Dartmouth College, awarded Ted a 'Doctorate of Humane Letters' as an honorary degree" (316).

(19) Icons of Time - 1957

letie001 — 2024-04-05 17:22:33 UTC

In 1957, The Cat in the Hat and How the Grinch Stole Christmas! was published. The Cat was an icon that took decades to evolve into the character we know today. The Grinch on the other hand, represents Dr. Seuss' hatred for the materialism of Christmas. In the end, these books became staples of children's literature.

"...The Cat in the Hat and How the Grinch Stole Christmas!-were published in the same year!" (321).

(20) The End - 1990 -1991

letie001 — 2024-04-05 17:28:29 UTC

Dr. Seuss' last book, Oh, the Places You'll Go!, was published in 1990 and it would become a beloved book that was widely known. His death happened a year later on September 24th, where he died at the age of 87.