Life — April 12, 1917 — page 15: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical cartoon depicts a woman on horseback attempting an ambitious equestrian jump over a globe. The exaggerated perspective—with the Earth appearing enormous beneath her—suggests she's attempting something far beyond reasonable expectations. The caption's ironic tone ("How It Seems") indicates the cartoon is mocking women's aspirations, likely referencing early 20th-century debates about women's expanded social roles and ambitions. The impossibly massive globe emphasizes the satire: what appears to a woman as an achievable "first high jump" is depicted as a laughably impossible feat. This reflects contemporary attitudes dismissing women's professional and athletic ambitions as unrealistic overreach, a common theme in *Life* magazine's humor during this era.