Painted screens are a folk art tradition unique to Baltimore.  The first screens were painted in 1913 by William Oktavek, a Czechoslovakian immigrant artist and grocer.  Painted screens provided a decorative picture on the rowhouses and furnished daytime privacy.  Those walking by could admire the art work, but could not see inside the home.  The decorative screens spread like wildfire through East Baltimore  - a tradition that still survives. The traditional scenes most often included a red-roofed cottage surrounded by evergreen trees, and a pond with swans.  During their heyday from the 1920's to 1940's there were over 100,000 painted screens throughout the immigrant neighborhoods of Highlandtown and Canton.  After World War II, and the advent of home air conditioning, this folk art fell into decline, but today is enjoying a renewed popularity.