Here is a Ladies Entrance Glass Sign that would have been displayed at a separate entrance usually in the rear of taverns, bars or saloons. This Ladies Entrance Glass Sign is from the late 1800’s era and made of a piece of reverse-painted scalloped glass mounted in a metal frame.
Between the late 1800s and the beginning of Prohibition in 1920 bars were the domain of men, a place to escape the demands of both work and family. The presence of women was a potential threat to their enjoyment of male camaraderie and their sense of masculinity. This is why in many bars of this period women were required to enter through a separate door marked with a sign reading “Ladies’ Entrance” and had to drink in a room in the back of the building. These side entrance rooms were often large rooms with booth seating, card tables, and perhaps a small standing bar serving soda and cocktails.