Life, 1927-11-24 · page 11 of 44
Life — November 24, 1927 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page features a reader-participation contest from *Life* magazine. The premise: a character named "Kay Vernon" is traveling across the United States and writing letters describing her journey, but deliberately including factual errors and geographical inaccuracies. Readers are challenged to identify and correct these mistakes in exchange for cash prizes (weekly prizes of $75 and $25, with final grand prizes up to $400). The accompanying illustration shows a stylized woman traveler with luggage. The contest format was a common *Life* magazine engagement strategy—combining geography education with humor and the appeal of prize money during what appears to be the early-to-mid 20th century. Readers would need to fact-check Kay's claims about American cities and landmarks as she travels from Boston westward to Seattle.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
All-America Travel Contest f Weekly Prizes | For the best answer to each of Kay Vernon's letters: First Prize - - $75.00 Three Second Prizes of $25.00 each ] | Final Grand Prizes For those who have the best | record throughout the Contest || as a whole: | First Prize - - - $400.00 | Second Prize - - $200.00 | Third Prize - - - $100.00 K4Y VERNON'S second letter appears immediately to the right. It contains various inaccura- cies, misstatements of fact and other dumb blunders. Look for the mistakes. Write a letter to Kay telling her where she is wrong, and how. Don’t use up more than four hundred words in your letter (the brigfer the better) Weekly awarded to those who detect and correct the greatest number of mistakes in each of ‘s letters, and who express themselves most effectively and clearly in their answers to her. The final grand prizes go to those having the best record through the Con- test as a whole. Kay's twelve - week tour will cover the en- tire United States. Any one can enter this Con- test at any time and be eligible for one or more > of the many prizes. prizes are According to the con- ditions (which you should read carefully), all answers : SECOND L must reach Lt not later than 12 noon on Thursday, Decem- ber 15th. Jaa\ (ai foeenrie Buttato Boston Chicago {ngianapolis New York Kansas City Pittsburch Philadelphia St. Louis Cincinnati Washington Richmond Dallas Atlan tgpatleston New Orleans Jacksonville E1Paso Houston” ~~. \ SanAntonio § Tampa Mi . \ \ Miami From Boston, Kay will start west toward Seattle— stopping at Detroit, Chicago and ot Follow her travels Seattle Minneapolis | Spokane "St-paul 7-7 Portland Salt Lake City San Francisco Los Angeles Phoenix, San Diego ———s er prominent points en route. every week in Live THIS IS KAY’S SECOND LETTER Boston, Mass The principal sights of Boston EAR Eprror: are Fenway Park of the Here I am in historic Bos- White Sox), the House ton, where the Pilgrim fathers (where those two Italians were in landed in the Mayflower and ind the I Daniel Webster wrote his which is just a stone Everythi is the Copley-Plaza. There is a 1 the Bunker Hill monument where they hung out. the Paul Revere Well, I start west tom will write from Detroit nen, I forgot to tell you that center of home State prison) Library where s throw fri famous dictionary pretty dull here now on ac of that horrid Mayor Thom; nll thi I had with me a copy of “Elmer Gantry” by Upton Sinclair and honestly, my dear, I expected to be arrested at any moment. e excitement when lanterns for censoring snappy books rrow and xt week I did see sox I went across the river to Charles- ton (the town, not the dance); PS that’s where Harvard is, and all in the the Harvard boys were celebrat Boston are the public Gardens where they grow ing their victory over the Prince ton football team the beans for which the city is fa mous CONDITIONS OF THE CONTEST HE object in this Contest is to de- ] ct and correct the mistakes in Kay Vernon's letters — the second of which appears in this issue, Subse- quent letters will appear erery week in Lire (with the exception of the Christ- mas Number, December lst), up to the Februar: m the twelfth and final letter will be published. Kay Vernon's t United Stat. and each has visited. Int Answer Kay’s letter! Correct her mistakes! comicbooks.com