Daughters of Painted Ladies: America's Resplendent Victorians [Paperback]

Elizabeth Pomada (Author), Michael Larsen (Author), Douglas Keister (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 10, 1987

A tour of the astonishing and stunning newly painted Victorian homes now beautifying all of the United States as ancestors of the original Painted Ladies of San Francisco! 172 full-color photographs.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Painted Ladies, the authors' 1978 homage to San Francisco's multicolored Victorian houses, inspired many homeowners elsewhere to forsake traditional gray or white housepaint in favor of a more colorful pallette. In this sequel, Pomada and Larsen show examples of Victorian houses across America, the criterion of inclusion being the use of at least three contrasting shades of paint (some use more than 30). As the authors rightly point out, no two of the houses are exactly alike. They range from tastfully exuberant (the Octagon House in Irvington, N.Y.) to sedately tonal (a Queen Anne-style house in Salem, Ind.) to just plain garish. Pomada and Larsen laud such "creative" touches as signing one's house as a work of art and are particularly fond of "interpretations" of 19th century colors. Still, the text is loaded with information and gives helpful tips about embarking on the daunting job of creating a Painted Lady.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

The original Painted Ladies (Dutton, 1978), canvassed San Francisco for examples of painted Victorian domestic architecture. The present volume takes on the rest of the United States, offering selections of this colorful art coast to coast and North to South. An introduction gives historical perspective and considers preservation, architectural styles, how these dwellings fit into today's landscape. Then the photos by Douglas Keister (with informative captions) take over for a well-documented display. Architectural collections will want this, as will public libraries building rehabbing and popular architecture collections. Carol Spielman Lezak, General Learning Corp., Northbrook, Ill.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: E.P. Dutton; 1st edition (November 10, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525485775
• ISBN-13: 978-0525485773
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #223,601 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A spectacular symphony of color and form, January 4, 2001

By 

Michael J. Mazza - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Daughters of Painted Ladies: America's Resplendent Victorians (Paperback)

"Daughters of Painted Ladies" is a beautiful tribute to restored Victorian houses from throughout the United States. Full-color photographs by Douglas Keister are complemented by the commentaries of Elizabeth Pomada and Michael Larsen.

The book focuses on what the authors call the "Colorist Movement" in historic house restoration. In other words, every one of the homes pictured has been painted "in three or more contrasting colors" that "bring out the decorative ruffles and flourishes" of each structure. So if your idea of a Victorian home is a dull, gloomy old mansion in a state of disrepair, be prepared to have that stereotype blown away. These "painted ladies" are some of the most vibrant and beautiful homes I have ever seen.

The book captures many different Victorian era styles: Italianate, Second Empire, Steamboat Gothic, Queen Anne, Octagon, Stick, and Victorian eclectic. And don't miss the special appearance by "Lucy," the elephant-shaped house built by James Lafferty. The colorist approach to these homes truly accentuates the varied vocabulary of Victorian architecture, with its towers, covered verandas, neoclassical pillars, oriel windows, decorated verge boards, and other fanciful details.

The book concludes with some helpful tips and resources for those interested in creating their own painted lady. If you are a lover of Victorian era architecture, buy this spectacular book and prepare to indulge in a decadent symphony of visual splendor.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A broadening of focus, August 13, 2003

By 

Chrijeff (Scranton, PA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Daughters of Painted Ladies: America's Resplendent Victorians (Paperback)

Here Pomada, with co-author Michael Larsen and photographer Douglas Keister, branches out from her San Francisco roots in search of Painted Ladies in other regions of the country--and finds them. Once again she shows houses of all sizes, degrees of elaboration, and amounts of gaudiness--the quietly lavender Blackberry Inn of Camden, ME, the darkly splendiferous English Queen Anne at 130 Mt. Vernon St., Boston, beach cottages on Martha's Vineyard, a vividly red church in West End, NJ, a crisp turqouise-and-cream confection from Cape May, a wondrously porched house in Savannah, GA, even a brick eclectic in Milwaukee. One wonderful little gem on p. 89 is an Aspen, CO, cottage whose front-porch gable comprises a blending rainbow of 25 colors--"14 blues of the sky and oranges from the sunset." The Morey Mansion of Redlands, the Carson Mansion of Eureka, and several Main Street buildings are here too. Pomada even contrived to get permission to show some interiors from a Portland house. These lovely houses will set you dreaming even if you don't own one of the same vintage yourself.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very satisfied!, February 2, 2009

By 

L. Waterbury (Rome, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Daughters of Painted Ladies: America's Resplendent Victorians (Paperback)

This book arrived in quick time and was in excellent condition. It is a wonderful book and I couldn't be more pleased! Thank you!