Palm Springs Tiki: Polynesia in the Desert

Palm Springs Tiki presents a visual exploration of a mid-century tropical paradise in the California desert.

From the 1930s through the 1970s, Palm Springs and other desert communities embraced the mid-century fantasy of a home-grown Polynesian paradise. The concept of the oasis and that of the tropical island shared the qualities of exotic escapism for the urban dweller, these would-be islanders under the desert sun. Sprouting from the arid desert were Polynesian restaurants, bars, nightclu...