Life, 1919-02-27 · page 29 of 38
Life — February 27, 1919 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily an **advertisement**, not satire. It promotes Robbins & Myers electric motors for post-WWI industrial use. The page capitalizes on women's wartime factory work ("the girl in overalls who has helped keep her country's industries in operation during war"). Rather than satirizing gender roles, the ad argues that R&M Motors made factory work "attractive to the woman worker" by being safe and easy to operate—implying women could continue in industrial roles. Notably, the copy also emphasizes how these motors power household appliances (washing machines, sweepers), "freeing the woman at home from the need of household help." This dual messaging reflects post-war anxieties: women should be valued for war service, yet simultaneously directed toward domestic labor-saving devices—keeping them home. The accompanying illustration shows a woman in work dress operating factory machinery, presenting her contribution as dignified service to the nation.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
aa They Serve . Now that we have won the war, the girl in overalls who has helped er country’s industries in operation during war will merit fully her place of honor along- side the boy in blue or khaki. In the factory equipped with Robbins & Myers Motors it has been a simple matter to change from men to women workers — for here the power equipment is found in its most convenient, easily managed form. Simple to operate, clean, quiet and safe, R&M Motors—ranging from 1-40 to 30 h. p.—have helped tremendously to make fac- tory work attractive to the woman worker. And R&M reliability and convenience of operation, together with woman’s natural adaptability, have enabled fac- tories to change to women work- ers without a halt in production. In addition to the service they are performing for the woman worker in the factory, R&M Motors are also help- ing the thousands who have to do the home work. By op- erating the washing machine, electric sweeper and other house- hold devices, they are freeing the woman at home from the need of household help. Leading manufacturers of such machines have adopted Robbins & Myers Motors to insure an absolute reliability of operation of their product. Power users seeking to better production; labor-saving device makers anxious to insure a better operating performance of their product; electrical dealers desir- ous of increasing sales—all find their motor ideals fully realized in the R&M line. The Robbins & Myers Company, Springfield, Ohio For Taventy-trvo Years Makers of Quality Fans and Motors Branches in Alll Principal Cities Robbins & Ms Motors & comicbooks.com