Life, 1926-05-06 · page 26 of 52
Life — May 6, 1926 — page 26: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page announces Life's "Travel Contest," a reader participation game. Sixteen-year-old Joan Kinley—described as "pretty but a trifle dumb"—is sailing to Europe and will send weekly letters to Life documenting her experiences. **The joke:** Joan will deliberately make factual errors in her letters (misidentifying landmarks, confusing locations, etc.), and readers compete to spot these mistakes and write essays about "What I Shall See in Europe." The winner receives an all-expenses-paid six-week European vacation for two. The cartoon shows Joan surrounded by travel luggage, establishing her as an amateur traveler. The satire targets both Joan's naïveté and, implicitly, readers' eagerness to prove themselves more knowledgeable than a foolish young woman. The contest exploits 1920s assumptions about female intellect while encouraging reader engagement—a clever marketing strategy disguised as participatory entertainment.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
PRIZES The winner of this Contest will be presented with a six-weeks’ trip from any point in the United States or Canada to France and England and return— with ALL EXPENSES PAID, FOR TWO PEOPLE. There will be a second prize of $250 in cash, a third prize of $150, and a fourth prize of $100. emwemm 1SS JOAN KINLEY—sixteen and pretty but a trifle dumb— is sailing for Europe on the S. S. Paris. It is her first trip, and she is terribly enthusi- astic at the prospect of seeing Paris, the battlefields, and London. Joan has promised to write, each week, a letter to Lire, in which she will set forth her experiences and observations, These letters will provide the basis of the TRAVEL CONTEST. As we have pointed out, Joan is not quite bright, and she will make a number of mis- takes in her letters. Her descriptions will be slightly inaccurate. The readers of Lire, therefore, are invited to watch for these mis- takes and to check up on them. Pay no attention to Joan’s literary style or her use of slang in these letters. Look only for the misstatements of fact of which she may be guilty. Remem- ber that Joan has had no experience tect her mistales. another letter (wi lowed by six mpre from Paris, the|Mai When Joan etu are urged to stnd mistakes that ters, together Shall See in te No answers he | vith jo in before June 24t testants should’stu appear, and mke may be detec be hard to findas « of opportunity There is no lo ¢ cate letters are thog —and are uttey as a newspaper reporter, and her ONE of Joan's te viewpoint consequently is not that of for eight conse; a trained observer. May 6th and closing If she describes a visit to West- will be errors and ina minster Abbey in Paris or the of routes, places, di tion of these mistak Louvre in London, you'll know that or the use of slang, she is a trifle mixed—and you'll have the opportunity to put her right. In order to com in at one time The reader who finds the greatest (or exact typewrit number of mistakes of fact in Joan’s tion of each error i letters, and writes the best three- or on accompanying Acct hundred-word essay on “What I The first prise will Shall See in Europe,” will be re- warded with a six-weeks’ vacation in France and England—with all ex- dicates the which must not exc penses paid, for two people. length, is to be enclose The first of Joan's letters, written from New York City, appears at the All answers to th Office between 9 AM right of this page. Read it care- July 13th, No anst fully, and see whether you can de- will be considered as comicbooks.com