Whether it was in their dress, behaviour, or attitudes regarding sex, women were keen on shedding the hysterical fixation society had on what it meant to be a proper woman. In the west, anyone could be who they wanted to be.

With this change in attitudes came an influx in nicknames and labels. “Daughters of sin,” “doves of the roost,” and “nymphs du prairie” were common monikers heard in America’s heartland. The 49ers of California’s gold mines called their shady ladies “soiled women” and “painted cats.” You might hear a cowboy refer to someone as a “scarlet lady” or “fallen angel.” In the end, they were all the same concept -- culture-changing women of the west. And one of their favorite abodes? The saloon. And thus the era gave birth to: saloon girls.

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