PAINTED LADIES

Description

Essentials about Painted Ladies in brief

If you think of ladies of a certain trade when you hear the expression “Painted Ladies,” you’re not entirely wrong. In the 19th century, the slang term was actually used for prostitutes, as the ladies of society at the time did not usually wear conspicuous makeup. Since 1978, however, “Painted Ladies” has had a completely different usage. Authors Elizabeth Pomada and Michael Larsen first used the term in their book Painted Ladies – San Francisco’s Resplendent Victorians to refer to the multi-colored Victorian houses so typical of San Francisco, which are now one of the city’s main attractions.

The history of Painted Ladies

Between 1849 and 1915, about 48,000 Victorian-style houses were built in San Francisco, and many of them were painted in different bright shades. This is an architectural feature of San Francisco, as the colors used do not match those typically used during this time period.

The great San Francisco earthquake of 1906 resulted in the destruction of many of these Painted Ladies, but in many neighborhoods the fabric of the buildings fortunately survived. During World War I and World War II, however, many of the Painted Ladies lost their colorfulness as they were painted in the excess gray paint used by the U.S. Navy to paint its ships. Over time, many of the Painted Ladies were torn down or had their facades covered with tar paper, gypsum plaster, or brick.

Finally, in the 1960s, a movement to revitalize the Painted Ladies began. Many houses were painted colorfully again, and entire streets and neighborhoods were given a new look as a result. The most famous faces of the Painted Ladies are a row of Victorian houses on Steiner Street, across from Alamo Square. It is often referred to as “Postcard Row” and is a popular subject in feature films and television series.