Baltimore Painted Screens

These often bucolic scenes painted on window and door screens, most commonly found in East and Southeast Baltimore, had a twofold purpose. They were meant to beautify and differentiate rows of identical townhouses. But also they provided privacy in these rowhouse windows that often opened right onto the sidewalk. Painted screens blocked the view into the house while allowing residents to see out.

Painted window screens are a folk art unique to Baltimore. Though most popular in the early part of the 20th century, painted window screen can still be found in neighborhoods like Canton and Highlandtown.

The Painted Screen Society of Baltimore offers DVDs about the art form, links to screen painters and to screen-painting classes. The American Visionary Art Museum has a display of screens.