Judge — February 8, 1908 — page 5: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This appears to be an illustration by Gibson (likely Charles Dana Gibson, famous for "Gibson Girl" imagery) depicting fashionable women in early 1900s attire. The verse below references Cupid and romantic matters: "King Cupid has not lost his rank, Nor all Earth's fires grown cold! For she who follows not her heart Must still be eyed as one apart— A bargain, bought and sold." The satire critiques marriage as a **mercenary transaction** rather than a romantic union based on love. The poem suggests women who marry for reasons other than genuine affection are essentially "bought and sold"—treated as commodities rather than equals with agency. This reflects Progressive Era concerns about women's autonomy and the critique of arranged or economically-motivated marriages among society's upper classes depicted by Gibson's elegant female figures.