Life — April 24, 1924 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cover illustrates "Pa and Ma Jongg," a satire on the mahjong craze sweeping America in the early 1920s. The cartoon, credited to Monte Smith, depicts two middle-aged figures playing mahjong at an ornately decorated table with Asian design elements. The joke targets how mahjong—the Chinese tile game—had become an obsessive fad among American adults, particularly wealthy women. The title puns on the game's name while the "Pa and Ma" framing suggests the game's appeal crossed generational lines, consuming leisure time across American society. The Asian aesthetic ornamentation emphasizes the game's exotic, fashionable appeal to contemporary audiences seeking novel entertainments during the prosperous 1920s.