The most charming homes of the later Victorian era were a sight to behold, from their complex structures to their ornate crafted details. Inside this book, you can take a look back to the 1880s and 1890s, when many elaborately-decorated houses were built in America.

The homes in this book are mainly in the Queen Anne, Stick and Eastlake styles, though some may be considered Folk Victorian, with their unique and beautiful "gingerbread house" detailing. Most of these houses were built from wood, with many different textures, patterns, carvings and other ornamentation incorporated into the design.

These 44 authentic antique house designs have all been drawn in the architectural elevation view - as if seen straight-on from the front. Many of these houses include wonderful wide porches and balconies, cupolas, turrets and towers, steep roofs, paneled chimneys, shingles, spindles, and ornate moldings and trim.

But what about the exterior colors, as seen on the Painted Ladies in San Francisco? In addition to the creative, crafty styles of architecture, advances in manufacturing made a rainbow of paint shades affordable, and the homes that remain from this time are often vividly colored.

While fans of Victorian architecture will likely admire each stunning image, these elaborate illustrations will be of special interest to experienced colorists thanks to the beautifully-detailed originals.

Now you can give these vintage homes the color and the verve they have been missing for more than a century

Note: In keeping with the original designs, the pictures are often very intricate, and there are large areas of black on certain pages. We chose not to over-simplify the artwork because of the tremendous amount of detail (and personality) that would be lost in the process. Please look at the preview pages or visit ClickAmericana.com/shop to view thumbnails of the illustrations in this book.