Judge — May 26, 1917 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of Judge Magazine Cover (May 26, 1917) This satirical cover addresses **conscription** during World War I. The image depicts a baby dressed as a nurse (indicated by the white cap with a red cross) holding a scalpel or surgical instrument, with a determined expression. The satire appears to criticize the U.S. military draft by suggesting that conscription forces even the youngest, most unprepared citizens into service—literally depicting a baby as a medical/military worker. The caption "Woman's Work" likely sardonically comments on how conscription affects women or how women are expected to contribute to war efforts. Published May 26, 1917 (shortly after U.S. entry into WWI in April), this reflects contemporary anxieties about the draft's expansion of military obligations to previously exempt populations.