A fantastic Dr Seuss advert for Holly Sugar is set to star in Swann Auction Galleries' January 22 Illustration Art sale in New York.
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The ad is one of several Dr Seuss created for Holly Sugar over the course of his career, with this example dating to the 1950s. It's expected to make between $20,000 and $30,000.
As Swann points out, the advertisement depicts a "somewhat sceptical-looking" goat munching on machine parts, with the tag line suggesting a "dubious palatability". This could be a reflection of Dr Seuss growing tired with his work on advertisements, having lobbied for a local billboard ban in his hometown of La Jolla, California.
The piece is joined by two further Dr Seuss drawings, each valued at $10,000-15,000.
The sale also features a previously unrecorded Norman Rockwell sketch, which shows a child reading by lamp light, his shadow taking the form of a Native American. Estimated at $18,000-25,000, it is thought to have been a rejected composition for an advert with the Armstrong Cook Company in Lancaster, PA.
However, the signature on the piece uses a different pencil to the artwork, with the auction house stating: "It is surmised that rather than a forgery it was added simply for identification purposes at an early date."