“YOU’LL BE ON YOUR WAY UP!
YOU’LL BE SEEING GREAT SIGHTS!
YOU’LL JOIN THE HIGH FLIERS
WHO SOAR TO HIGH HEIGHTS.”
“Dr. Seuss’s dynamic concept drawing
accompanies his ambitious idea
that we are all “soaring to high heights”
as we travel through life.”
Soar to High Heights
Pigment Print on acid-free paper
Dimensions: 25.25” h x 36” w
Limited Edition of 850 Arabic Numbers, 99 Patrons’ Collection prints, 155 Collaborators’ Proofs, 5 Hors d'Commerce, 2 Printer's Proofs
An introduction by the Publisher of the Art of Dr. Seuss Collection, Bob Chase
“The boy’s smile and wave exudes
a joy and willingness to embrace the unknown…
a fantastic reminder for us all!”
Dr. Seuss pairs the above sentiment with his story’s pajama-clad hero flying through a vast Seussian landscape in a hot air balloon. Indeed he is soaring, but upon examination, Dr. Seuss’s specific image choice of a hot air balloon reveals something profound: while the boy is in control of the height at which he can fly, he is simultaneously at the mercy of the wind. Dr. Seuss seems to suggests that success is within our grasp, but the journey is not always within our control. This image is an enlightening reminder for us all to embrace the unknown as we soar for our dreams!
““Soar to High Heights” invites us to ask the following:
What journey will you embrace in pursuit of your dreams?
”
Front cover art of Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
THE ORIGIN OF OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO!
While working with his biographers, Judith and Neil Morgan, Ted reminisced about the verbal exchange between friends that accompanied their undergrad handshake: “When I went to college, it was a campy thing to say, ‘Oh, the places you’ll go! The people you’ll meet!’” That Roaring Twenties handshake, and the words that defined it, sent Ted on his way to a robust and rewarding career. In 1990, he chose those same words for his parting book, Oh, the Places You’ll Go! It was a final and fitting tribute to the Dartmouth men who befriended him early on and were a source of encouragement his entire life.
Oh, the Places You’ll Go! is a reflection of Ted’s own adventures, challenges, and successes. The boy in the yellow pajamas appears to be a self-portrait of the artist himself. In 1946, while vacationing at a friend’s home—Villa Narcissa above the Pacific southwest of Los Angeles—Ted declared that he wanted to live the rest of his life in a climate that allowed him “to walk around outside in my pajamas.” By 1948, he was doing just that.
Footnote: Oh, the Places You’ll Go! arrived in bookstores on January 22, 1990. On September 24, 1991, Dr. Seuss passed away peacefully at home. He was 87. This was to be the last book published during his lifetime. As of June 2019, Ted’s final gift—Oh, the Places You’ll Go!—has sold 15 million copies.
“What many people don’t realize is that for each final line drawing,
Dr. Seuss would create multiple concept drawings
leading up to the final published image.”
Oh, the Places You’ll Go! original concept drawing
Oh, the Places You’ll Go! final line art
DR. SEUSS’S CONCEPT DRAWINGS
Ted Geisel drew every page for every Dr. Seuss book he wrote. What many people don’t realize is that for each final line drawing, Ted would create multiple concept drawings leading up to the final published image. During each stage of concept development he would tirelessly refine the imagery, making subtle adjustments to characters and nuanced shifts to the scene in which they appeared.
Here we see an extraordinary example of an early-stage concept drawing. The spirit of the final image is intact, the details have been roughed-in, and the path toward a final line drawing has been mapped out. Ted would go on to refine the image from here, but what is most exciting about this early-stage concept drawing is its ability to convey the creative impulse of the artist. Less worried about the quality of the line, in this stage it’s all about the energy and personality of the scene.
OTHER WORKS FROM
OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO!
