#henry mcbride

Florine Stettheimer painted this portrait of leading NY art critic Henry McBride hugging a Winslow Homer watercolor of a palm tree on a reproduction of the Homer painting itself. McBride called the painting, which at the Met, one of his "aesthetic pre-occupations," and Stettheimer turned it into his brand. Then gave this weird thing to her lawyer, whose heirs are finally selling it.

★ Top 10 paid book app and “New and Noteworthy” on App Store – Sep 2011

★ “An entertaining collection! 9/10 overall score. – iPhone Life Magazine ★ Winner of the Digital Storytime 5-Star Award ★ “An absolutely stellar app!” – Famigo ★ “The app is an amazingly better experience than the book, and cheaper!”- North Star Nerd ★ “These stories are pure Seuss, and perfect for a four year old!” –…

Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss), The Great Henry McBride (1951).

from The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories (2011), originally published in Redbook (Nov 1951)

If you have kids then you've read some Dr. Seuss, and if you've gone beyond the stalwarts -- Hop on Pop, Green Eggs and Ham, the Grinch, Cat in the Hat -- then you know how much Seuss likes to repeat themes. In Henry McBride he explores the world of a daydreaming young boy who sees himself multitasking his way into the future, but saves the important message for last:

"Yep! I'll pick the very best job that I can When I finally grow up and turn into a man. But now ... well, right now when I'm still sort of small, The best job is dreaming, with no work at all." 

It reminds me of Oh! The Places You'll Go! in its bright-eyed vision of the future.