Life — December 21, 1922 — page 6: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Mrs. Pep's Diary Analysis This page features a serialized humor column titled "Mrs. Pep's Diary," a common Life magazine feature. The accompanying illustration shows a woman at a telephone desk, likely the "Mrs. Pep" character. The December 16th entry satirizes upper-class social anxieties about gift-giving and Christmas entertaining, mocking concerns over jewelry choices and household staff efficiency. The December 17th entry appears to reference contemporary debates about divorce law reform, presenting the author's ironic commentary on proposed legal changes. The "Are You Theah?" sketch on the right satirizes a telephone conversation, likely mocking affected upper-class speech patterns and the comedic frustrations of early telephone technology—a popular humor subject in this era. The overall tone is gentle social satire targeting genteel American society customs and pretensions.