Story:
This rather cringeworthy poem and illustration (Argus, 16 May 1938, p. 14) takes the frequent Mallee duststorms of the 1930s as an opportunity to reinforce gender stereotypes. The girl child’s fruitless attempts to dust her doll’s house mirror her mother’s battle with duststorms, but the diminutive poem, like the toy house, minimise the global implications of drought and poor farming practices.
Argus, 16 May 1938, p. 14