In 1978, while she was in New Orleans for Mardi Gras, Mariette Pathy Allen struck up a friendship with a group of crossdressers who were staying at her hotel. The photographs she took on that trip became the first in a decades-long career dedicated to documenting the crossdressing and transgender communities. “To depict them where they belong, in the daylight of daily life rich in relationships with spouses, children, parents and friends,” Allen, now 83, has said, “is my tribute to their courage.” In celebration of Pride Month, a retrospective of Pathy Allen’s work is on view at the Plaxall Gallery. —Paulina Prosnitz