Life — December 30, 1920 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Seeing the New Year In" - Life Magazine This satirical page mocks New Year's Eve social customs among the wealthy. The cartoons depict: 1. **Upper panel**: Friends gathered to watch the clock strike midnight—a tradition the text notes has become tedious after maintaining "conversation only by herculean mental efforts" for hours. 2. **Middle left**: A woman wishing her husband a Happy New Year from bed, escaping the forced socializing. 3. **Middle right**: A couple arguing over clock discrepancies—the Waspata's clock shows only quarter past eleven, sparking heated debate about when to actually celebrate. 4. **Bottom**: Guests toasting with "a bowl of his own brewing"—implying homemade alcohol, likely referencing Prohibition-era bootlegging. The satire targets the artificiality and tedium of upper-class New Year's traditions.