9 of PENTACLES
Updated: Jun 9
Fig. 84.1. Pamela Colman Smith, 9 of Pentacles, from the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot deck, 1st ed. (London: William Rider & Son, 1909), chromolithograph.
Fig. 84.2. Josh Baird, 9 of Pentacles, from the Sego & Salt Tarot, 1st ed.
9 OF PENTACLES : "1899: MOTHER HORNE, UTAH'S FIRST LADY OF THE ARTS"
_________________________________________________________________________
THE TRADITIONAL TAROT
KEY IDEAS: Abundance, Achievement, Independence, Leisure, Luxury, Material security, Rewarded efforts, Self-sufficiency, Success. REVERSED: Being guarded, Hustling, Living beyond means, Material instability, Over-investment in work, Reckless spending, Superficiality.
ALTERNATIVE TITLE/S: The Lord of Material Gain
CARD INTRODUCTION: The Nine of Pentacles is encouragement. It's a heartfelt congratulations. It’s pride in your accomplishments. It’s a reminder to look around and recognize the work of your own hands and heart and mind. You don’t have to fix anything. Or prove anything. Instead? Bask! Luxuriate! Smile a little smile to yourself, secure in the knowledge that you are a wonderful person who’s done wonderful things. Follow the lead of the woman seen in so many iterations of this card -- she’s in a gorgeous garden, decked out in a dazzling robe, friends with a goshdang falcon! This is the stuff of legends. With the pentacles suit’s emphasis on abundance and reciprocity, take this card as a reminder that, if you’re community-minded, whatever you invest in yourself will inevitably pay dividends for others as well, enabling you to show up for and with them in the purest way. How can you spend this day in total kindness to and admiration of yourself? What can you wear? What can you eat? What can you listen to or watch? Where can you go? Others are blessed when you care for and think of yourself in a loving way. The Nine of Pentacles affirms self-sufficiency without worshipping isolation. No one reaches this kind of bounty by themselves, and yet you also don’t have to downplay the work you did to get here. Let your confidence be calm and generous, rooted in gratitude rather than apology. —Sara K. S. Hanks, Cottonwood Tarot
QUOTES:
"The soul that is content is a hidden treasure." —Lao Tzu
"Independence is a heady draught, and if you drink it in your youth, it can have the same effect on the brain as young wine." —Maya Angelou
"To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself." —Thich Nhat Hanh
"Self-sufficiency is the greatest of all wealth." —Epicurus
"I thrive on solitude." —Haruki Murakami
"My crown is in my heart, not on my head; not decked with diamonds and Indian stones, nor to be seen: my crown is called content." —William Shakespeare
"I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will." —Charlotte Brontë
"The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself." —Michel de Montaigne
_________________________________________________________________________
SEGO & SALT TAROT
“If you really want to learn what art is, live with it.” —Alice Merrill Horne
“Foster the climbing artists for presently they will be the old masters.” —Alice Merrill Horne
"God has created gifts, and men work so that we are not without poets, painters, sculptors, architects, craftsmen, gardeners and home makers. So long as talent and industry unite there will be art—original, spontaneous, inspirational—the kind that lives. We are all artists to a degree, or at least let us believe that Providence so intended." —Alice Merrill Horne
Fig. 84.3. Alice Merrill Horne. Photo courtesy of the Horne family
ALICE MERRILL HORNE: Alice Merrill Horne (1868–1948) was a visionary advocate for the arts and a formidable political leader who reshaped the cultural landscape of the American West. Born in a log cabin in Fillmore, Utah, Alice moved to Salt Lake City at age seven to live with her grandmother, Bathsheba Smith. This transition placed her at the center of an influential social circle that included figures like Eliza R. Snow and Emmeline B. Wells. Observing these leaders discuss religion and politics at her grandmother’s hearth, Alice absorbed a vital education in civic initiative and leadership. Under her grandmother's mentorship, she also developed a sophisticated taste for fine art that would define her life's mission.
Alice’s professional journey began at the University of Deseret, where she earned a degree in pedagogy and a teaching certificate in 1887. It was here, while organizing a Shakespearean Society, that she met George Henry Horne; the two married in 1890. Despite her busy academic and family life, Alice remained a devoted student of the visual arts, seeking private instruction from the premier Utah "art missionaries" of the era, including John Hafen, J.T. Harwood, George M. Ottinger, and Mary Teasdel.
Her entry into politics was sparked by her dissatisfaction with the "Augsburg System" of drawing taught in public schools. Alice believed this rigid method stifled the aesthetic principles she had worked so hard to acquire. At just twenty-six years old, she displayed her trademark strategic wit by recruiting a like-minded friend to run for the Salt Lake City Board of Education. She personally campaigned for his success, making house calls to ensure a victory that would eventually revolutionize how art was taught in Utah schools.
Alice Merrill Horne's legacy is that of a "cultural architect" who believed that art was a communal right rather than an elite privilege. By bridging the gap between the studio and the legislature, she ensured that the "culture, grace, and beauty" she cherished would be woven into the fabric of public education and state government.1
Fig. 84.4. Utah House of Representatives Members. Alice Merrill Horne is center. Photo courtesy of Utah State Historical Society.
THE REVOLUTIONARY ALICE ART COLLECTION: This landmark achievement cemented Alice Merrill Horne’s legacy as the "Mother of Utah Art" by transforming her vision of a state-sponsored cultural program into a national first. In 1898, Alice was elected as a state representative for Salt Lake’s Eighth District on a platform dedicated to creating a state arts agency, driven by her belief that for art to be truly understood, "people must live with it," and that artists required a "living wage" to produce work that was "original, spontaneous, [and] inspirational." Her efforts resulted in the 1899 Art Bill, which passed the Utah Senate unanimously and established the Utah Institute of Fine Arts (now the Utah Division of Arts & Museums); upon its signing, Governor Heber M. Wells hailed Utah as the first state in the Union to provide such an institution, a milestone he attributed to the success of equal suffrage. This visionary structure mandated an annual art exhibition and the purchase of winning works to ensure the state would actively invest in its creators, forming what is known today as the Alice Art Collection. Now a prestigious repository owned by the people of Utah, the collection comprises over 1,400 artworks valued at more than $9 million and continues to grow through annual purchases, fulfilling Alice’s dream of a living, breathing archive of Utah's creative spirit.3
Fig. 84.5. Alice Merrill Horne, ca. 1899. Photograph. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
MOTHER HORNE: Though Alice Merrill Horne was a skilled painter who refined her craft under the tutelage of J. T. Harwood, John Hafen, and Mary Teasdel, she is most remembered for her tireless work as an art dealer and advocate. She championed a generation of early Utah creators, including Henry Moser, Florence Ware, Minerva Teichert, and Mahonri Young. Her nurturing approach to fostering their talent was so profound that many of these artists affectionately referred to her as “Mother Horne.”3
ACCOLADES:
In 1893, Alice chaired Utah’s Liberal Arts Committee for Chicago’s World’s Fair and Columbian Exposition.
She briefly studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and published a book showcasing Utah’s art and poetry at the Fair.
While serving as a Utah Representative in 1899, she authored the bill that created the first state-run arts agency in the United States.
To ensure all children had access to high-quality culture, she established more than 30 art collections in public schools.
Beyond her work in the arts, Alice was a prominent "preservationist, an environmentalist, and a suffragist."
She was the first person inducted into the Salt Lake City Council of Women's Hall of Fame.
The Academy of Western Culture awarded her a Medal of Honor for her extensive civic contributions.
She made history as the second woman ever elected to a state-level office in Utah.
Her legislative work included securing the land grant for the University of Utah's current location.
She led the "Clean Milk for Utah" initiative, which improved safety standards and provided free milk to infants in need.
To combat pollution, she founded the Smokeless Fuel Federation and established the Women’s Chamber of Commerce in Salt Lake City.
An advocate for women's rights, she worked with the National American Woman Suffrage Association and represented Utah at the 1904 International Congress of Women in Berlin.
From 1901 to 1915, she held a leadership role on the General Board of the Relief Society for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.2
_________________________________________________________________________
WORKS OF ART FEATURED IN THE CARD:
CYRUS DALLEN, "DON QUIXOTE" (sculpture in the upper right): Created by the renowned Utah-born sculptor Cyrus Dallin, this piece captures the iconic literary figure in a moment of profound, idealistic defiance. Dallin, who is perhaps best known for his empathetic portrayals of Indigenous peoples and the iconic Angel Moroni atop the Salt Lake Temple, brings a unique sensitivity to the legendary "Knight of the Sad Countenance." His rendition of Don Quixote serves as a visual manifesto on the power of the human spirit to transcend mundane limitations. The sculpture illustrates that life is not a series of events to be passively accepted, but a landscape to be actively challenged through the lens of one’s own values.
In this work, Quixote embodies the idea that the "passion and discipline of a determined soul" are the true bedrock of leadership. Rather than bowing to the "current reality" of a weary world, Dallin’s Quixote imposes his own creative imagery and unwavering commitment upon his surroundings. The figure represents an uncompromising pursuit of happiness and virtue, suggesting that a leader's greatest strength lies in their ability to see—and fight for—a world that does not yet exist. It remains a poignant reminder that the "madness" of the dreamer is often just a higher form of clarity and resolve.3
MAHONRI YOUNG, THE FACTORY WORKER: Created by Mahonri Young, a pivotal figure in American realism and the grandson of Brigham Young, The Factory Worker represents the artist's deep commitment to capturing the dignity of labor. While many of his contemporaries focused on idealized or classical forms, Young drew inspiration from the grit of the industrial age. This sculpture portrays the strength and weariness of the common man, standing as a testament to the human element behind the machinery of progress. Young’s ability to render the physical strain and grounded presence of the laborer reflects his belief that everyday work was a subject worthy of high art. By stripping away artifice, he allows the viewer to confront the raw reality of the working class, elevating the "average" individual to a position of sculptural prominence.3
MAHONRI YOUNG, DA WINNAH!: It was in Paris that Young created his first series of internationally acclaimed works capturing the drama of boxers, including Da Winnah!, Right to the Jaw, The Knockdown, and Two Bantams. To achieve such striking realism, Young regularly attended matches and even consulted with French middleweight champion René Devos. These works were cast by the prestigious Valsuani Foundry, which served masters like Auguste Rodin and Henri Matisse. The success of this series launched Young into elite post-war circles alongside icons like Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, and F. Scott Fitzgerald.
The sculpture embodies the idea that the "passion and discipline of a determined soul" are foundational to success. Young’s social reach was vast; he gave painting lessons to Gertrude and Leo Stein and dined with Ernest Hemingway. In a 1926 letter, he recounted a visit from Linda Lee Thomas Porter—wife of composer Cole Porter—who arrived with a group from the "loftiest circles of international society" to view his art. Young was delighted to find that these high-society women were remarkably knowledgeable about boxing, further proving that his work bridged the gap between raw athletic struggle and refined artistic appreciation.3
JOHN HAFEN, "GIRL AMONG THE HOLLYHOCKS" (painting on the left): In this celebrated masterpiece of American Impressionism, John Hafen captures a serene, quintessential moment of childhood wonder. The painting features a young girl—modeled after Hafen’s own daughter, Enid—standing amidst a towering thicket of vibrant hollyhocks. Hafen, a co-founder of the Utah Art Institute, utilized a delicate, broken brushwork technique and a luminous palette to suggest the heat and hazy light of a summer afternoon.
The work is more than a simple portrait; it is an exploration of the harmony between humanity and nature. The "Girl Among the Hollyhocks" is nearly swallowed by the rhythmic verticality of the flowers, creating a sense of immersion and innocence. By focusing on the play of light filtering through the petals and the soft textures of the garden, Hafen elevated a domestic scene into a timeless poetic statement. This painting remains one of the most beloved works in Early Utah Art, symbolizing the beauty found in the quiet, cultivated landscapes of the West.3
MARYN H. TEASDEL, "A SUMMER BOQUET" (painting in the upper center): Mary Teasdel was a trailblazing figure in early Utah art, distinguished as one of the first women from the state to gain international recognition. In A Summer Bouquet, Teasdel demonstrates her mastery of the Impressionist style she refined while studying in Paris under luminaries like James Abbott McNeill Whistler. This still life is a vibrant celebration of color and light, capturing a lush arrangement of seasonal flowers with fluid, confident brushstrokes.
Teasdel's approach in this painting moves beyond mere botanical documentation; she focuses on the atmospheric quality of the scene. The "convincing skill and refinement" noted by her contemporaries is evident in the way she balances the delicate textures of the petals against a soft, diffused background. By choosing a domestic, floral subject, Teasdel elevated the everyday beauty of a Utah summer to the level of high academic art. As a close collaborator of Alice Merrill Horne, Teasdel’s work—and specifically pieces like this bouquet—helped establish a sophisticated visual language for the burgeoning Western art scene, proving that local subjects possessed universal elegance.3
JAMES TAYLOR HARWOOD, "HARVEST SCENE IN FRANCE" (painting on the far right): James Taylor Harwood was a monumental figure in Western art, being the first Utah-born artist to have a work accepted into the prestigious French Salon. Harvest Scene in France is a product of his extensive training in Paris at the Académie Julian and the École des Beaux-Arts. In this piece, Harwood employs a "convincing skill and refinement" to capture the rhythmic, physical labor of the French peasantry. The painting is characterized by its warm, earthy tones and a masterful control of light that suggests the late afternoon sun beating down on the golden wheat fields.
Harwood’s approach to the landscape was deeply influenced by the French Barbizon school and early Impressionism, focusing on the dignity of rural life. By documenting the harvest, he bridges the gap between the Old World traditions he studied in Europe and the agrarian values of his home in Utah. As a mentor to other greats like Mary Teasdel and John Hafen, Harwood’s European success and technical prowess provided a professional blueprint for the "Early Utah Art" movement. This painting stands as a testament to his ability to translate a specific regional moment into a universal celebration of human industry and natural abundance.3
GOERGE MARTIN OTTINGER, "RIO VIRGIN AND THE BLUFFS" (mostly hidden painting in the lower center): George Martin Ottinger was a cornerstone of the 19th-century Utah art scene, arriving in the Salt Lake Valley by ox team in 1861. In Rio Virgin and the Bluffs, Ottinger captures the rugged, untamed beauty of Southern Utah's landscape with the precision of an explorer and the eye of a romanticist. The painting showcases his "convincing skill and refinement" in rendering the dramatic geological formations of the Virgin River basin. His use of light emphasizes the stark contrast between the deep shadows of the bluffs and the sun-drenched valley floor, creating a sense of vast, quiet solitude.
Ottinger was not only a painter but also a pioneer in photography and a co-founder of the Deseret Academy of Arts. His background in maritime and historical painting allowed him to approach the Western desert with a unique perspective, treating the towering bluffs with the same majesty one might accord a mountain range or a great sea. As a teacher to many in the "Early Utah Art" movement, including J. T. Harwood, Ottinger’s work provided a foundational aesthetic for the region. This painting remains a vital historical record, documenting the raw, unpolished state of the Utah territory before extensive settlement.3
_________________________________________________________________________
ENDNOTES
"The Paris Art Mission," Utah History Encyclopedia, accessed April 1, 2026.
Laura Durham, "Alice Merrill Horne," Utah Women’s History: Better Days, accessed April 1, 2026, https://utahwomenshistory.org/the-women/alice-merrill-horne/.
"Alice Merrill Horne," HORNE Fine Art Gallery & Studio, accessed April 1, 2026, https://www.hornefineart.com/alice-merrill-horne/.
Comments