Life — December 1932 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Life Magazine Cover Analysis (December, circa 1932) This is a **Christmas-themed Life magazine cover** featuring costumed characters in a holiday scene. A rotund figure dressed as Santa Claus holds what appears to be a gift list or ledger, while a smaller character in formal attire (possibly representing a child or helper) stands beside him at a table. The cover's tagline reads "Hoping to see you on or about the twenty-fifth—" a play on Santa's traditional Christmas Eve visit. The caption credits Don Herold, Jeff Machamer, Russell Patterson, Marge, and Ed Wynn. **Ed Wynn was a famous comedian of the era**, suggesting this may be a theatrical or entertainment-related holiday piece rather than political satire. The 15-cent price and Canadian marking date this to the early 1930s Depression era.