The Land Girl Covers: August

To welcome in August, we have two new front cover designs of The Land Girl this month. August was one of the busiest times in the farming calendar, as women were heavily involved in the harvest, which the first drawing reflects. The detailed sketch from the August 1942 edition shows women out in the fields bringing in the harvest. In the far distance, we see a Land Girl on a tractor. To right, some Land Girls appear to be hoeing. A bit further forward, some Land Girls seem to be holding a lamb in their arms, although it is a bit hard to make out. What do you think? Overall, this captures the range of work expected of women – and ultimately how they had to work as a team in order to bring in the harvest. Look at the women’s facial expressions, particularly those in the foreground. They look focused on their respective activities, showing that they carried out their duties and diligently.

The second drawing is very different in style, with far fewer lines, making for a simpler design. Here we see two Land Girls feeding a lambs in a barn. Again, the Land Girls are seen working together; one feeding the lamb while the other holds the bucket. What particularly struck me about this drawing was the way the artist had drawn the haircuts. Both women have bobbed hair. It was this very hairstyle, along with painted fingernails, that sometimes meant women caused quite a stir when ‘townies’ moved to the country. Who knows, maybe this artist, B.N.L, was one of these ‘town gals’ and was making a point that despite the appearances of a town girl, women could muck down and get the job done!

Both artists used their pencils and paper to bring to life the farming tasks they would have carried out on a daily basis, showing the effective ways they worked with other Land Girls to maintain the country’s food supplies during and after the war.