Life — April 20, 1922 — page 25: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page presents a humorous sequence showing various ways audiences create disturbances during a concert or theatrical performance. Each panel depicts a different type of noise-making: - "The late arrival" — someone entering after the performance begins - "The sneeze" — an involuntary outburst - "The dropping of a program" — accidental noise - "The cough" — another uncontrollable sound - "The whisper in the balcony" — intentional talking - "The concerto" — the finale shows the musician overwhelmed by accumulated audience noise The satire targets the contradiction between audiences' expectation of enjoying refined entertainment and their actual behavior—their inability to remain quiet during performances. The final panel, with its radiating lines suggesting chaos, emphasizes how audience noise can overshadow the actual music. This reflects common complaints about theater etiquette in the early 20th century.