Written by: Genevieve Hammang
Edited by: Michelle Sosa
Housed on the second floor of the Geisel Library at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), the Dr. Seuss Collection is an archive of Theodor Seuss Geisel’s manuscripts and drawings from 1919 to 1992. Geisel and his wife Audrey were longtime residents of La Jolla, CA, and when Geisel passed in 1991, Audrey donated this collection to the nearby UCSD campus. After an additional $20 million donation to the expansion of what was then called the Central Library in 1995, the university decided to rename the building the Geisel Library in the couple’s honor.
This $2.3 million collection currently consists of over 20,000 items, split into two categories: the original materials donated after Seuss’ death and new additions acquired in 2013 and 2022. The original collection contains biographical material from high school and military service, scripts, screenplays, advertising artwork, magazine stories and cartoons, speeches, awards, fan mail, Seuss products and promotional materials, cassettes and video tapes, and photography. Notable among these are the commercial art pieces for Standard Oil of New Jersey and Ford Motor, illustrations published in The Saturday Evening Post, and anti-fascist political cartoons. The 2013 and 2022 additions include illustrations, concept sketches, adaptational material for film and TV, and correspondence. Of his 84 published works, there are only three that are not represented in this collection: And To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, The Lorax, and Daisy-Head Mayzie.
Unfortunately, most of the materials in the archive are highly fragile. Access to the collection is therefore restricted to researchers with express permission from the director of special collections. However, items from the collection are usually on display in the library’s Seuss Room during March in celebration of Dr. Seuss’ birthday and during UCSD’s summer session. Additionally, nearly 600 digitized copies of objects in the collection are available online, including editorial cartoons for PM magazine from 1941 to 1943 and early advertising art.
The Geisel Library is a remarkable piece of architecture designed by William Pereira.
Dr. Seuss has been a household name for decades. Many of the most popular children’s books of all time are in his bibliography and his work sold more than 600 million copies in at least 20 languages by the time he died in 1991. He was also a deeply political person: he produced over 400 political cartoons from 1941 to 1943 for the left-wing daily New York paper PM, attacking Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini as well as American politicians espousing isolationist “America First” policies during World War II. These views made their way into his books as well, including Yertle the Turtle and The Lorax. There is no doubt that he left a remarkable legacy in his work and that the Seuss Collection at Geisel Library is a reflection of that.
However, not everybody is happy with the Geisel Library’s celebration of Dr. Seuss. While Geisel was a noted anti-fascist, he also engaged in outrageous racist stereotypes in his books and political cartoons, especially anti-Asian tropes. As a result, many students have called to change the library’s name over the years.
Although removing the Seuss collection has thus far not been one of the goals for these campaigns, the changing perspective of Seuss’ value as a children’s author and illustrator may re-frame the value of his material legacy. If you’re interested in seeing this legacy for yourself, take a look at the digital collection!
0 Comments