Small Dreams

Jeffrey Milstein is fascinated with how similar forms repeat themselves in distinctive ways. Here, he examines classic Palm Springs trailer park homes, each composed of the same basic units—the box-like "house," the flanking carport, and the patio shelter. Photographing each one from exactly the same viewpoint, he shows how the owners have personalized their dwellings in a delightful range of architectural styles from Chinese to early Egyptian to Desert Modern. Parked on small plots with their narrow ends facing the street, these tiny homes were originally made of surplus sheet metal using technology developed in aircraft factories during WWII. Over time, people remodeled them, creating decorative facades and in some cases adding elements of architectural styles found in more affluent neighborhoods. In documenting these older mobile homes, including the Blue Skies Village Trailer Park founded in 1955 by Bing Crosby, Milstein reveals how we shape our world to reflect our dreams and aspirations.