Life — March 27, 1919 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a satirical illustration captioned "Farmer Brown's New Help Does Her First Ploughing." The cartoon depicts a woman operating a plow drawn by two horses, while farm buildings and a windmill appear in the background. The satire likely addresses **women entering agricultural labor**, presumably during World War I when male farmers enlisted, forcing farms to rely on female workers. The "new help" represents women taking on traditionally male farm work. The humor derives from the period's assumptions about women's unsuitability for such labor—the illustration seems to playfully mock both the awkwardness of the situation and contemporary gender expectations. The image celebrates women's agricultural contribution during wartime labor shortages, though with a gentle, humorous tone typical of *Life* magazine's satirical approach to social change.