Judge — February 1, 1913 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This illustration depicts a stylized female figure balanced precariously atop an automobile tire, arms outstretched in an unstable pose. The figure wears 1920s-era clothing with a decorative hat and patterned dress. The title "The Wheel of Fortune" plays on the classical image of Lady Fortune (or Fortuna) spinning her wheel to determine fate. Here, the "wheel" is a modern automobile tire—likely satirizing how chance and fortune have become tied to the new automobile industry and modern consumer culture. The woman's precarious, unbalanced stance suggests the instability and unpredictability of this new industrial economy. The cartoon likely critiques either the volatility of automobile-related investments or society's reckless embrace of automotive modernity as a path to prosperity.