Life — March 22, 1923 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of "So French" Page from Life Magazine This page contains a satirical sketch titled "So French," set in the Ritz Hotel lobby in Paris. The comedy relies on American characters enthusiastically imitating French sophistication and mannerisms—mentioning lunch with the Throckburys, tea at Helen Updike's house, and attending the theater to see the Williamses and Tinkers. The joke targets American social climbers' pretentious attempts to adopt French culture and lifestyle as markers of status. The accompanying illustration shows a silhouetted figure in a hat, likely depicting a typical "Parisian" character type. The page also includes a poem titled "Blockade" by S.K., a romantic piece unrelated to the main sketch. Overall, the content satirizes American aspirational Francophilia during what appears to be the early-to-mid twentieth century.