Life — February 6, 1919 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This page from *Life* magazine features a poem titled "Visiting" by Juliet Wilbor Tompkins, accompanied by a sketch captioned "WHEN IT COMES HER TURN." The poem humorously describes a weekend trip to "the ancient family farm," contrasting initial excitement with the reality of rustic labor (axes, stumps, creaking pumps) and the desire to return home. The illustration depicts seven military figures in WWI-era uniforms standing in a line. The presence of what appears to be a female soldier among male soldiers—combined with the poem's title "WHEN IT COMES HER TURN"—suggests this is satirizing women's military service or conscription during World War I. The cartoon likely comments on women's reluctant participation in wartime duties, echoing the poem's theme of initial enthusiasm followed by homesickness.