At the end of the 1960’s, the rapid development of industry and the unchecked land development began to take a noticeable toll on the environment. Air, noise, and water pollution seemed to be on the rise, and people began to call for action.
In November 1971, the newly created Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched a massive photo documentary project to record these changes. Called DOCUMERICA, more than 100 photographers were hired to document specific environmental issues, to capture images of everyday life, and to show that moment in history. By 1974, more than 80,000 photographs had been produced. The images framed environmental problems such as noise, water and air pollution, but also health problems and social decay.
The project also collected images of American making changes and creating positive change in their surroundings.
The project was the United States first serious examination of the decay of the natural environment Gifford Hampshire was the EPA Project director for DOCUMERICA and described the inspiration of the project as, “It was an exciting time. The public was expecting results.” Hampshire wrote in his memoir that the EPA had worked to close down the big offenders of industrial pollution, but that it became clear that ordinary people were responsible for many pollution issues.
The project was geographic in nature, with photographers working in one area of the U.S. usually where they lived and worked as professional photographers. Exhibits of the images were shown at EPA facilities and other small venues until the early 1980s.
The images are really eye-opening today. Images of cities with smog, subways with graffiti, a town with 4 nuclear reactors in the background – paint a picture of the environment as it was in the 1970s. Looking at them today also shows that we have made some progress in terms of protecting the environment, and in dealing with pollution.
The images can be seen on the Documerica Catalogue website, and there is also a great selection of 46 images on the Atlantic’s website.
Image Source:
DOCUMERICA Project
Links:
DOCUMERICA Images of Crisis and Cure in the 1970s
Archival Research Catalogue – Documerica
46 selected pictures on The Atlantic DOCUMERICA: Images of America in Crisis in the 1970s