Livin' the High Life: Pre-Depression America

Today we know that 1928 was merely the twilight of the Roaring Twenties, and that the Great Depression loomed on the horizon. As 1928 dawned, however, The New Yorker and its readers were more concerned about their everyday lives. In the city, socialites flocked to parties and gatherings, smoked expensive cigarettes and lived in obliviously happy luxury. Technologically, the future seemed bright, filled with car improvements and new skyscrapers. But the staff at The New Yorker must have felt something uneasy in the air. The "Talk of the Town" section of 1928's first volume of the magazine hesitated: "It is the New Year. Possibly a Happy one. Certainly a frantic one."

Society	Technology
January 7th	February 4th
January 7th	March 3rd
January 7th	March 17th
March 17th