Chandeliers and the Law at the Temple of Justice
Part Five
This is the fifth post of a six part blog series, “Chandeliers and the Law at the Temple of Justice,” about the symbols on the Tiffany & Co. chandeliers in the Courtroom and Main Reading Room at the Temple of Justice.
In modern times, the winged wheel has been used as a symbol for both progress and transportation, especially in the early 20th century. Given the importance of progressivism in the law of Washington, it is not surprising to see the winged wheel appear on the chandeliers forged in the early 1920s.
The Progressive Era (1890–1920), a bipartisan reaction to corrupt government and corporate excess during the Gilded Age (1870–1900), was a strong political force in Washington State. Recently, Professor Hugh Spitzer of the University of Washington School of Law and Jeff Even of the Washington Office of the Attorney General, Solicitor General’s Office presented an outstanding continuing legal education lecture for the Washington Courts Historical Society detailing the development and effect of progressivism on the Washington Constitution and case law from the early 20th century.
Spitzer and Even highlighted a good example of progressivism in the Washington Supreme Court in the case Mazetti v. Armour & Co., 75 Wash. 622 (1913). The plaintiffs owned a Seattle restaurant and ordered from a wholesaler a carton of cans of cooked tongue produced by Armour & Co. A customer got food poisoning from the tongue which contained a “foul, filthy, nauseating, and poisonous substance” and he then publicly complained about the illness, harming the restaurant’s business. The plaintiffs sued the meatpacker for their loss of business. In the cause of food safety, the Court rejected the traditional requirement of privity of contract between the manufacturer and the plaintiff and held that “a manufacturer of food products under modern conditions impliedly warrants his goods when dispensed in original packages, and that such warranty is available to all who may be damaged by reason of their use in the legitimate channels of trade.” In the aftermath of Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle (1906), food safety was a top concern of progressives.
The winged wheel is loosely associated with the myths of both Athena and Hermes, particularly in the punishment of Ixion who was bound to a spinning fiery winged wheel for eternity. It is unclear how this ancient symbol morphed into its modern meaning of progress and transportation.
The winged wheel is used as a logo by many companies and governments. Among many others, the Detroit Red Wings hockey team has adopted it, as has the Ohio State Highway Patrol. The symbol on the chandeliers differs from the norm, however, in that it is a winged gear or mill wheel rather than the more usual tire or spoked wheel. It is unknown whether this was simple artistic license or meant to represent the railroads that were so integral to the development of the Washington State economy. (RM)
