W. Gould Brokaw

This pen & ink image accompanied an article that appeared at the cusp of a New Year in the December 29, 1909 Indianapolis Star. The subject is William Gould Brokaw, a contemporary of William K. Vanderbilt, Jr., the founder of America's first international road race, the Vanderbilt Cup. He purchased a Renault race car for driver Maurice Bernin for competition in the 1904 Vanderbilt Cup.
 
The grandson of railroad robber baron Jay Gould, Brokaw was a scion of one of America's wealthiest families and was never confronted with the common financial challenges of most people in carving out a career and a way to generate income. Renowned as a playboy and sporting enthusiast Brokaw had a fascination for speed and competition from horses to boats to cars and airplanes. Brokaw was not a stranger to business as he participated as an investor but his patience and general temperament did not always make for the best considered decisions and those efforts led to little success.
 
As for his personal life his taste for alcohol and dubious female companionship put him in compromising positions. This image was circulated as part of the sensational coverage of the court trial surrounding his second divorce and the associated financial settlement with his departing spouse.