Nancy Baron: Beautiful Trailertown

Nancy Baron: Beautiful Trailertown by Aline SmithsonApril 11, 2017

©Nancy Baron, Airstream Sunset

Photographer Nancy Baron has spent that last decade documenting the sun bleached desert oasis of Palm Springs, where poolside living creates a color infused lifestyle set against a backdrop of blue skies and palm trees. Her photographs reflect mid-century modernist sensibilities with an insider’s appreciation for details. After her two successful monographs, The Good Life > Palm Springs and Palm Springs > The Good Life Goes On published by Kehrer, Nancy has recently released a self-published book, Beautiful Trailertown, documenting the mobile park lifestyle in Palm Springs, California. The book comes in an edition of 100, signed and packaged with one 6 x 6″ archival pigment print, “Airstream Dream,” as seen above. The book and print can be ordered here.

Beautiful Trailertown back cover

©Nancy Baron, Add On

Nancy Baron’s background in documentary filmmaking has led to her current dedication to fine art documentary photography. She documents the world nearby, mostly in Los Angeles and Palm Springs, where she lives. Baron’s work is held in public and private collections and has been exhibited in galleries across the United States, including three solo exhibits in Los Angeles and two in Palm Springs. Her photography has been published in many notable magazines and newspapers, including The New York Times, Mother Jones, Photo District News, American Photo, Architectural Digest, and Conde Nast Traveler. Her first monograph, The Good Life > Palm Springs, published by Kehrer Verlag, was released in 2014. Her second monograph, Palm Springs > The Good Life Goes On (Kehrer) was released in October 2016. Beautiful Trailertown, her third monograph, released in March 2017, is self-published.

©Nancy Baron, Desert Dwelling Pelicans

Beautiful Trailertown

While exploring Palm Springs, the charm of the mobile home parks pulled me in, encouraging me to look closer. Residents were surprisingly friendly to a stranger with a camera. I felt at home.

Although the parks have themes, residents are given a wide berth for personal expression in their own homes, encouraging a diverse community that defies stereotype. These are the pioneers of the Tiny Home movement, embracing the less is best concept, while skimming the grid. Pride of ownership can be had at a cost far less than a condo, with no neighbors above or below. If yearning for a change of scenery, mobile home dwellers are always free to hitch up and move – yet their homes often appear to be firmly planted, with landscaping, hardscaping, and even additions. With no historic overlay preservation codes to hamper them, creativity abounds. Extra fancy or plain and simple, there are no two homes alike.