Lydia Coutre came across her mother’s slide album of a 1982 trip to Europe back when Coutre was in the fourth grade and knew then that she wanted to travel to Italy. Years later, as a junior in college, she was able to take the trip and came up with a fascinating idea: Recreate the photos her mother took 30 years before her. The journalist originally from Grand Haven, Michigan, has compiled all her amazing recreations, and she shared a few with SheKnows.
Tower Of Pisa
Coutre spoke to SheKnows over email to talk about what sparked the idea for her project, what her future travel plans are, and what her mom thinks about the touching and beautiful undertaking that resulted in beautiful recreations of 1982’s London and Italy.
The London Eye
In this picture, you can see just how much has changed. In Lydia’s mother’s photo, just the aquarium is visible, while in Lydia’s, we have an addition: The London Eye!
St. Peter’s Basilica
Recreating a bunch of shots from specific angles is quite an undertaking, so how did it all begin? “I’ve wanted to visit Italy since seeing my mom’s slides while working on a project in fifth grade,” Coutre explained. “When I had the chance to study there through Kent State University, I jumped on board. It wasn’t until a few months before I left that the idea came to mind. I’m not even sure what sparked it.”
The Rape Of The Sabine Women
The photos provide an interesting view into just how much a place and atmosphere can change over three decades, and all of the ways that it doesn’t. Coutre’s pictures have both a permanence and a fluidity that make the project positively fascinating.
Tourists
What does Coutre’s mom — the inspiration for the project — think of her daughter’s undertaking? “She thought it was great,” said Coutre, “She also ended up sending me a copy of her journal from the time!”
Piccadilly Circus
Of course, there was work to do, and Coutre’s mother was instrumental in getting the project off the ground, back when it began in 2011: “She and my dad bought me a slide converter for Christmas that year, and I spent my winter break converting slides to files on my computer one by one.”
Parliament
Coutre’s photos span three countries and multiple cities, with the photos capturing everything from historic landmarks…
Interlaken, Switzerland
…To gorgeous landscapes. Coutre says the project was relatively straightforward. “I loaded her pictures onto a little point and shoot digital camera, and then would carry that around to reference when I recaptured scenes on my other camera.”
Westminster Abbey
With a little practice, Coutre didn’t run into many issues along the way: “After the first several I had it down pretty well, aligning little things like lamp posts or road signs or building features with other markers or the edge of the frame.” We think these shots are pretty spot on.
Tower of London
It’s fascinating to see the same landmark in two juxtaposed shots, with certain things in the frame changing with the times (fashion, advertisements and even cars) while things like The Tower of London and Parliament stay practically identical.
Trafalgar Square
We asked Coutre if she had more plans to travel (and photograph her adventures!) any time soon, and she’s definitely open to the idea: “I don’t have any plans right now, but I would love to take more trips.”
Trafalgar Square
We asked Coutre if she had more plans to travel (and photograph her adventures!) any time soon, and she’s definitely open to the idea: “I don’t have any plans right now, but I would love to take more trips.”
Friends
It can be a little dizzying to see our parents as they were in their youth, so we can’t even imagine what it must have been like to walk along the same paths and visit the same places that they were in on a once-in-a-lifetime trip as Coutre did.!
Colosseum
No surprise the Flavian Amphitheatre looked quite similar for mother and daughter!
Tower Bridge
Coutre is a little surprised by how much attention the photos have gotten, particularly since they were taken nearly three years ago.
Sitting near the Piazzale Michelangelo
We had to know which photo was Coutre’s favorite, and it turns out, this is the one! “I posed where my mom sat in 1982 to recreate that picture. And then when she and my dad visited me, I took one of her and another of the both of us. Talking about the project again has reminded me I need to get that picture framed.”
It’s positively lovely, and such a wonderful opportunity to bring the past and the present together. You can see more photos from the project on Coutre’s website, or follow her on Twitter at @LydiaCoutre to connect!
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