Painted Ladies
Grand Old Gals of the Victorian Era
Story by Barbara Torke
Photos by Paul McCreary and James Burke
 COLORFUL
PAINT and fancy, “gingerbread” trim, much like the adornments of their
nefarious “painted lady” namesakes (women entertainers in
bordellos and other places of dubious reputation), gave these Victorian
homes their nickname.
They
appeared across the country in the late nineteenth century and early
twentieth century. Pattern books became available of the Queen Anne
style architecture that characterized them. The railroads brought fancy
trim by the carload to the west. When the Queen Anne style went out of
favor in the 1910s and 1920s, the great mining boom towns were
left resplendent with the color, texture, and pattern of the hey-day of
that dramatic era.
Oddly
enough, most women who lived in these homes would never have deigned to
speak to a real “painted lady,” whose presence was rarely alluded to by
the “good” people who lived on the proper side of town.
 The
appellation probably derived from the dance hall girls, madams,
and “ladies of the night” who tended toward flamboyance in their style
of dress and adornment and wore gaudy makeup, mainly as
self-advertisement. For many women, prostitution was their only
available financial resource. Those women are long gone, but the fancy
houses named
after them, still stand proud on the streets of many western mining
towns. However they got their names, their style of architecture, Queen
Anne, is certainly evocative and picturesque.
American-style Queen
Anne architecture of the 1870s
is eclectic, incorporating leaded glass, open-bed and broken pediments,
balconies, over-hanging eaves, and monumental chimneys. Furnishings
featured Chinese-inspired early Georgian furniture, characterized by
great expanses of wood with flowing lines. The polychrome paints used
on the houses accentuate the asymmetrical style and highlight the
patterns and textures created by the machine cut-outs that were shipped
by train to the out-lying frontier from the eastern areas. The paint
industry after the Civil War also contributed to this unique. Spindle
detailing, wrap around porches, rounded towers, and gables are typical
embellishments of the Victorian style—a style often referred to as
decorative excess. It reminds us of some other painted ladies.
 By 1870
balloon framing (uniform lumber cut by commercial mills) had replaced
hand hewn logs. Advanced machine turned spindles, brackets, finished
windows, doors, and decorations were shipped across the country on the
expanding railroad network. Patterns and planning books, architectural
periodicals, and pamphlets flourished. This led to many intricate
additions, such as bay windows, oriels (out-hanging windows) and
verandas.
Buildings
of the time were built of wood, stone and brick. The colors were often
earth tones, including sienna (earthy red), hunter green, ochre (dull
yellow), and browns were popular. These colors accentuated the
intricacies of the ornate grillwork and ornamentation.
During
the ’20s and ’30s, after the Queen Anne style fell from popularity,
whites and light colors were used to play down the
dramatic, and to simplify painting. But now, the bright ladies of the
past are once again coming into favor. Accurate repainting and color
choices can be researched for those wishing to restore a Victorian home
to its former glory. Today’s painted ladies, tend to be in brighter
colors, usually three, and their fancy, fussy trim is readily apparent,
trim generally referred to as “gingerbread” at the local lumber yard.
In keeping with their past opulence, gardens surrounding these homes
are usually lushly excessive.
These
grand old gals can be found in towns and cities around the country
where there once was a display of the superfluous and
ornamental. It recalls a time in our country’s history that was
flamboyant, excessive, and just a little bit naughty.
Photos:
Top: House
in
Ouray, © Paul McCreary.
Middle: House in Silverton, © James Burke.
Bottom:
House in Lake City, © Paul McCreary.
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