Polychrome

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Polychrome Victorian-era architectural detail in Kendallville, Indiana.

Polychrome is one of the terms used to describe the use of multiple colors in one entity. Most often, the term is used in conjunction with certain styles of architecture during the Victorian era.

Polychrome building facades rose in popularity as a way of highlighting certain trim features in Queen Anne architecture in the United States. The rise of the modern paint industry following the civil war also helped to fuel the (sometimes extravagant) use of multiple colors.

The Polychrome facade style faded with the rise of the 20th century's "revival" movements, which stressed classical colors applied in restrained fashion. The polychrome movement reappeared in San Francisco, California in the 1970s, to describe and remains popular today on Victorian era houses. During the 1970s, multiple polychrome house in San Francisco earned the endearment painted ladies, a term that in 2004 is considered kitsch when it is applied to describe all Victorian houses that have been painted with various period colors.

Polychromed sculptures were also produced by the Spanish artist Juan Martínez Montañés in the 17th century (Baroque Period).

A very early example of polychrome decoration was found in the Parthenon atop the Acropolis of Athens. At the time the English Victorians encountered the classical ruins the paint had completely weathered off, and so the Victorian's impression was that classical beauty was expressed only through shape and composition, lacking in robust colors. It was this impression that informed the classical revival movements. It was only later through microscopic and other means that the true colors and patterns could be reconstructed. An example of classical Greek architectural polychrome may be seen in the full size replica of the Parthenon exhibited in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

John Joseph Earley (1881-1945) developed a "polychrome" process of concrete slab construction and ornamentation that was admired nationwide. In the Washington metropolitan area, his products graced a variety of buildings - all formed by the staff of the Earley Studio in Rosslyn, Va.

The John J. Earley Polychrome Houses in Silver Spring, Maryland, were built in the mid 1930s. The concrete panels were pre-cast with colorful stones and shipped to the lot for on-site assembly. Earley wanted to develop a higher standard of affordable housing after the Depression, but only a handful of the houses were built before he died and written records of his concrete casting techniques were destroyed in a fire.

Less well-known, but just as impressive, is the Dr. Fealy Polychrome House that Earley built atop a hill in Southeast Washington, D.C. overlooking the city. His uniquely designed polychrome houses outstanding among prefabricated houses in the country, appreciated for their Art Deco ornament and superb craftsmanship.