diff --git a/Doc/library/filecmp.rst b/Doc/library/filecmp.rst
--- a/Doc/library/filecmp.rst
+++ b/Doc/library/filecmp.rst
@@ -106,6 +106,16 @@
 to compute are used.
 
 
+ .. attribute:: left
+
+ The directory *a*.
+
+
+ .. attribute:: right
+
+ The directory *b*.
+
+
 .. attribute:: left_list
 
 Files and subdirectories in *a*, filtered by *hide* and *ignore*.
@@ -169,3 +179,18 @@
 A dictionary mapping names in :attr:`common_dirs` to :class:`dircmp`
 objects.
 
+
+Here is a simplified example of using the ``subdirs`` attribute to search
+recursively through two directories to show common different files::
+
+>>> from filecmp import dircmp
+>>> def print_diff_files(dcmp):
+ ... for name in dcmp.diff_files:
+ ... print("diff_file %s found in %s and %s" % (name, dcmp.left,
+ ... dcmp.right))
+ ... for sub_dcmp in dcmp.subdirs.values():
+ ... print_diff_files(sub_dcmp)
+ ...
+>>> dcmp = dircmp('dir1', 'dir2')
+>>> print_diff_files(dcmp)
+
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_filecmp.py b/Lib/test/test_filecmp.py
--- a/Lib/test/test_filecmp.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_filecmp.py
@@ -98,7 +98,10 @@
 
 def test_dircmp(self):
 # Check attributes for comparison of two identical directories
- d = filecmp.dircmp(self.dir, self.dir_same)
+ left_dir, right_dir = self.dir, self.dir_same
+ d = filecmp.dircmp(left_dir, right_dir)
+ self.assertEqual(d.left, left_dir)
+ self.assertEqual(d.right, right_dir)
 if self.caseinsensitive:
 self.assertEqual([d.left_list, d.right_list],[['file'], ['FiLe']])
 else:
@@ -109,7 +112,10 @@
 self.assertEqual(d.diff_files, [])
 
 # Check attributes for comparison of two different directories
- d = filecmp.dircmp(self.dir, self.dir_diff)
+ left_dir, right_dir = self.dir, self.dir_diff
+ d = filecmp.dircmp(left_dir, right_dir)
+ self.assertEqual(d.left, left_dir)
+ self.assertEqual(d.right, right_dir)
 self.assertEqual(d.left_list, ['file'])
 self.assertTrue(d.right_list == ['file', 'file2'])
 self.assertEqual(d.common, ['file'])
diff --git a/Misc/NEWS b/Misc/NEWS
--- a/Misc/NEWS
+++ b/Misc/NEWS
@@ -189,6 +189,9 @@
 Documentation
 -------------
 
+- Issue #15269: Add documentation and tests for dircmp.left and dircmp.right.
+ Patch contributed by Chris Jerdonek.
+
 - Issue #15230: Clearly document some of the limitations of the runpy
 module and nudge readers towards importlib when appropriate.
 
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