Finding Documerica Near You

Once a week, we feature a particular area covered by Documerica between 1971-1977. When it was underway, the project had photographers in the field documenting what was of interest to them. The topics, places, and incidents you see as part of Documerica today were solely a result of each photographer’s hard work and dedication to have that subject matter be a part of the picture.

Today, with the modern effort known as State of the Environment you can do the very same thing. For a fun challenge and frankly, because it’s incredible to see the difference, we’ve put out a particular call for photos that could be side by side their matching scene from forty years ago.

 

Get in the action by following the location challenges here, or by digging up a photo near you. The National Archives has made digital copies of every Documerica photo available through their OPA Database. Simply follow this link  and more often than not, multiple photographs of the past will surface.

When you follow that link, you’ll come to a search page like this. Simply type in your state or nearby landmark to get started.

If you have any trouble, please let us know as a comment here and we will gladly help!

All ‘Then and Now’ entries will be considered for the larger Washington D.C. exhibit set for March 8 – September 8, 2013.

Enjoy, have fun, and we can’t wait to see your contributions to this historic project!

Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.