They didn’t haunt the West. They hosted it. Painted Ladies is a whispered tribute to the women who lit the velvet backrooms of the Western frontier — the madams, dancers, sirens, and survivors. Each Buffalo Nickel becomes a stage where corset strings echo like gunshots and every glance carries a price. These skeletal portraits don’t mourn the forgotten — they honor the fierce. They reimagine the saloon underworld in ink and bone, where every smirk, curtsy, and pistol swing becomes a ghost story etched in coin.

This volume features over 30 original black-and-white engravings inspired by the rebellious hobo nickel tradition. Poetic vignettes accompany each piece, blending Western noir with ghostlight, grit, and the elegance of defiance. These are not just illustrations. They are relics of resilience, carved portraits of women who endured in shadow and lived loud in silence. A cornerstone of the Nickel Souls series, Painted Ladies gives voice to those who were never quiet to begin with, only unheard.