Life — January 16, 1931 — page 6: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Telephone and You" - Life Magazine This satirical article offers etiquette advice for telephone users, a then-novel technology. The accompanying cartoon illustrates the awkwardness of telephone interruptions during social gatherings. The piece humorously catalogs common telephone scenarios—mistaken identity calls, interrupting bridge games, dealing with secretaries—and the social confusion they create. Key advice: always identify yourself and why you're calling; don't leave guests hanging; acknowledge the caller's name and purpose. The cartoon shows a man at lunch, seemingly caught mid-conversation on the telephone while sitting alone, capturing the absurdity of being interrupted during meals. The caption joke—"So you are through crying, are you, Martha-Louise?" / "Well, I'm having my lunch now"—illustrates the social disruption and awkward exchanges telephones introduce into everyday life. This reflects early-20th-century anxieties about intrusive technology and changing social norms.