Life — May 8, 1924 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Life: A Flapper to Artemis" by Elizabeth Newport Hepburn This is a satirical poem addressing the goddess Artemis (Diana), contrasting ancient ideals of chastity and hunting prowess with 1920s "flapper" culture. The illustrated figures show modern women in contemporary dress alongside classical mythological imagery. The satire mocks young women of the Jazz Age for abandoning traditional virtues—the poem accuses them of being "cold," "ruthless," and "strange" rather than embodying Artemis's noble qualities. References to "chaste Diana," hunting, and staghounds contrast with critiques of modern behavior, including the line about "Actaeon" (the hunter turned to stag), suggesting moral transgressions. The piece represents conservative criticism of 1920s women's liberation and changing sexual mores during the flapper era.