HAVE YOU EVER MET A LA JOLLA BIRDWOMAN?
WE ARE PROUD TO INTRODUCE YOU TO
OUR NEWEST FRIEND
As one of the few men in town who worked from home, Ted Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss) had an unusual view of La Jolla’s social rhythms. He watched as his fashionable female friends moved through days at the beach, luncheons, parties, charity events, and evening engagements. Ted was there to witness it all, “A birdwatcher on the social scene of La Jolla,” as he was known to say.
These observations sparked a creative idea, and the result was Ted’s famed La Jolla Birdwomen series. This spirited collection of paintings and drawings was inspired by the stylish women within La Jolla’s social circle.
“Ted was there to witness it all, ‘A birdwatcher on the
social scene of La Jolla,’”
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“Wherever she is going, she has every intention of making an entrance.”
La Valencia Birdwoman
Pigment Print on Paper
Authorized Estate Edition
Image Size: 47 x 61 cm
Limited Edition of 850 Arabic Number:
155 Collaborators' Proofs
5 Hors d'Commerce
2 Printer's Proofs
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NB Please allow at least 12-16 weeks for make and shipping from the U.S.A. publishers.
ELEGANT AND ECCENTRIC IN TWO EDITIONS
“The energy is already there: the theatrical posture, the expressive gesture, the joyful chaos, the unmistakable sense that rules are about to be bent.”
THE LA VALENCIA BIRDWOMAN
FURTHER INSIGHT
She moves with the practiced confidence of someone accustomed to a full social calendar. Her long beak reaches forward. Her jewelry swings behind her. Her carefully arranged feathers, fitted ensemble, and decidedly impractical shoes suggest that this is no ordinary afternoon stroll. Even her hands seem to tell a story. One appears to hold the world politely at a distance while the other trails behind with theatrical ease. And Ted has captured all of her elegance and nuance in this inspired drawing.
Around her, the loose architecture of La Jolla rises and recedes. Rooftops gather along the hillside while a stairway climbs toward a neighboring building, one that resembles the architecture of the famed La Valencia Hotel.
Imagine The La Valencia Birdwoman - Deluxe Edition featured prominently in your home.
La Valencia Birdwoman - Deluxe
Pigment Print on Canvas
Authorized Estate Edition
Image Size: 86.4 x 66.7 cm with additional 6.35 cm canvas border
Limited Edition of 195 Arabic Number:
99 Patrons' Collection
55 Collaborators' Proofs
5 Hors d'Commerce
2 Printer's Proofs
Secure your Deluxe Edition now!
NB Please allow at least 12-16 weeks for make and shipping from the U.S.A. publishers.
MEET ME AT LA VALENCIA
FOR TED, SOCIAL OBSERVATION WAS
ALIVE AND WELL AT “LA VAL”
The Pink Lady welcomed generations of artists, entertainers, visitors, and La Jolla society. Image circa 1940s.
Perched above the Pacific Ocean along Prospect Street, La Valencia Hotel has been part of La Jolla’s social landscape for nearly a century. Opened in 1926 and officially named La Valencia in 1928, its Spanish architecture, tiled roofs, courtyards, and signature pink exterior earned it the nickname “The Pink Lady.”
Although Ted didn’t socialize in public regularly, he would frequent the famed La Valencia, taking meetings there, gathering with friends, and spending time in the hotel’s celebrated Whaling Bar.
La Valencia also gave Ted something every artist needs: people to observe. Artists, entertainers, travelers, and La Jolla socialites passed through its doors as morning meetings became lunches and lunches became cocktails. It is easy to imagine the La Valencia Birdwoman among them, stepping out for one engagement while already anticipating the next.
La Valencia Hotel in the 1930s, already established as one of La Jolla’s defining landmarks.
“Although Ted didn’t socialize in public regularly, he would frequent the famed La Valencia, taking meetings there, gathering with friends, and spending time in the hotel’s celebrated Whaling Bar.”
MORE BIRDS OF A FEATHER (RELATED WORKS)
PART SOCIAL OBSERVATION. PART SURREAL INVENTION.
ENTIRELY SEUSSIAN.
“The La Jolla Birdwomen reveal Ted Geisel at his most observant, sophisticated, and playfully satirical. Each work presents another personality from the remarkable social flock that surrounded him.”
With exaggerated beaks, carefully preened feathers, and wonderfully revealing titles, the Birdwomen combined Ted’s surreal imagination with his keen understanding of human behavior. They were affectionate spoofs created by a genial witness, filled with the vanity, rivalry, humor, and occasional exhaustion of social life.
Oh, I’d love to go to the party but I’m absolutely dead
Sunbathing Bird
Raising Money for the Arts
Martini Bird
My Petunia Can Lick Your Geranium
Gosh! Do I Look As Old As All That!
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