Trailer house, Colorado Springs, Colorado 1968 - 1971

Robert Adams made this gelatin silver print, titled "Trailer house, Colorado Springs, Colorado". The photograph’s matter-of-factness invites us to consider the social conditions of its making. This image speaks to the rapid expansion of suburban housing in the American West after the Second World War. Adams's photographs often explore the impact of this growth on the landscape and its inhabitants. Here, a single-wide trailer home stands as a symbol of both the promise and the precariousness of the American dream. The barren yard, the broken swing set, and the shovel leaning against the door all suggest a sense of neglect or abandonment. To truly understand this image, we might consult census data and urban planning reports. These resources can reveal the economic and political forces that shaped suburban development in Colorado Springs. By examining such evidence, we can appreciate how Adams used photography to question dominant narratives of progress and prosperity.