About the Author

Murphy spent a few months researching and verifying the 110 locations using 1902 and 1909 Sanborn Insurance Maps, Google Maps and the Santa Monica Public Library's digital collections. Once he had all of the addresses confirmed, together with photographer Jens Lucking he biked or walked to every location, carefully matched the camera angles, and re-shot the historic photographs. Santa Monica: A Look Back to 1902 from Today is a side-by-side comparison that was more than a century in the making, a juxtaposition of the past and present as seen through lenses focused on one of California's most vibrant, accessible and diverse beach cities.