Instant Alert: Before Dr. Seuss was famous he drew these sad, racist ads ... and then totally changed his mind

MANAGE SUBSCRIPTIONS   |   UNSUBSCRIBE   |   VIEW ONLINE   Before Dr. Seuss was famous he drew these sad, racist ads ... and then totally changed his mind by Jim Edwards on Oct 15, 2015, 12:49 PM Advertisement Dr. Seuss's political leanings are well known — he was a liberal Democrat who opposed fascism in the 1940s and President Nixon in the 1970s. The movie of his book The Lorax is a fairly unsubtle pro-environment allegory. Less well celebrated are Theodor Seuss Geisel's early advertising and political cartoons from the 1920s through the 1940s, which have a racist streak. In the ads (from the collection of the library of the University of California, San Diego), black people are presented as savages, living in the tropics, dressed in grass skirts. Arabs are portrayed as camel-riding nomads or sultans. The images are surprising because they reveal that one of America's most original artist-authors had the same, tired views of non-whites that his contemporaries did. More optimistically, Seuss later changed his mind and began drawing cartoons that criticised people with prejudiced ideas. Here's a look at that journey, as seen in images that never featured in his children's books. Warning: Readers may find the following images offensive or upsetting. SEE ALSO: In London, dogs commute on the Underground the same way humans do In his political cartoons Seuss inveighed against the Japanese during World War II; he drew them buck-toothed and squint-eyed. This was an ad for Flit, a brand of insect repellent. Many of these drawings are from the collection of the Springfield Library and Museums Association. See the rest of the story at Business Insider   Share the latest business news with your network: Email sent to:   |   Manage your email preferences   |   Unsubscribe Terms of Service   |   Privacy Policy Business Insider. 150 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011