David the Dreamer, His Book of Dreams. Ralph Bergengren. Boston: The Atlantic Monthly Press, 1922. English. First edition.
Children's book with ten wonderful color plate illustrations by Tom [Seidmann-]-Freud (1892-1930), Jewish artist, illustrator and author, native of Vienna. This, the first English book (and third book overall) illustrated by Seidmann-Freud, appeared a few years before the series of books she published in Germany in the late 1920s (two of which are also on offer in this sale), which positioned her as one of the pre-eminent children's book illustrators of her generation. Tom was related to Sigmund Freud and it could not be more appropriate that the illustrator of this book is the niece of the author of "The Interpretation of Dreams."
Despite her short career (she committed suicide at the age of 38), Seidmann-Freud had a lasting impression on 20th-century children's literature. Her books won numerous awards and garnered enthusiastic critical and public reviews. Her unique illustrative style is characterized by simple geometric shapes with gentle colors, a poetic seriousness that reflects the "New Objectivity" (Neue Sachlichkeit) modern art movement prevalent in post WWI Germany concurrently with the Bauhaus School design. However, her artist achievements are no less important than her significance as an intuitive educator, who knew how to enrich children's imaginations and activate their minds in a creative manner. Despite Seidmann-Freud's critical and commercial success, because of her Jewish heritage most copies of her books were destroyed by the Nazis and few remain intact today, thus their scarcity and value.
67 pp, 27X21.5 cm. Very good condition. Minor, sporadic staining.