Cartoon Articles Archive

This cartoon appeared in a June 1, 1940 issue of the Canadian Countryman, and framed weeds as a dangerous fifth column threatening the war effort against the Axis powers. This cartoon shows the importance of agriculture (or the “farm front”) to the Allied war effort. This was especially apparent after the Fall of France in June 1940, as Canadian farm produce became a critical lifeline to Great Britain. In fact, by the end of the war, Canada was the source of 54% of...

This cartoon appeared in a March 18, 1944 issue of the Canadian Countryman. By using the old idiom of the wolf in sheep clothing, the cartoon is warning against using feed grain as seed, as this would result in the proliferation of weeds. This cartoon appeared in the context of increasing livestock production during the Second World War among Canadian farmers. As a result, feed grain became more valuable to feed to livestock rather than to sell as a cash crop. Consequently, many farmers...

This advertisement appeared in the June 8, 1940 issue of the Canadian Countryman. It shows the contrasting images of two women, one representing a 1904 housewife with her stern look and Edwardian fashion, and the other representing her 1940 counterpart with a smile and much more modern sense of style. The advertisement showcases a number of appliances that are now commonplace in most North American households. Ironically, most of these appliances were in fact invented prior to 1904....

This cartoon, appearing in the June 1955 issue of Better Farming, demonstrates one of the most pressing challenges facing family farms following the Second World War. The war resulted in rapid and critical technological innovations that were readily applicable to agriculture, the most important of these being: gas and electric-powered machinery, pesticides, and chemical fertilizers. While these innovations greatly improved productivity, they introduced the combined pressures of...

This cartoon, appearing in the September 27, 1940 issue of the Canadian Countryman depicts Uncle Sam and Johnny Canuck standing together resolutely, pledging to keep dictators out of North America. The immediate context for this cartoon was President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s violation of the United States’ official position of neutrality by signing the “Destroyers for Bases” agreement with the British Empire. This agreement gave the British 50 American warships in...