Pichincha - Rosario - The Argentine Chicago

I live in Rosario City, Argentina.

There's a neighborhood called Pichincha, which at the beginning of last century was famous for its many brothels.

At the beginning of the 20th century, it was a den of prostitution, mafia gangs, police corruption and disease, at a time when Rosario was called "the Argentine Chicago"; a natural consequence of the unchecked growth of a port city overflowing with poor immigrants and uneducated workers moving in from the countryside.

Pichincha, at one time the city’s red light district and home to the notorious brothel of the equally notorious Madame Safó. Purpose built as an exact replica of a French brothel and decorated with the finest French furniture, the journalist Albert Londres exclaimed in 1927 that it was like “finding a miniature homeland when you’re far from home. Inside, everyone speaks French. The patroness is from Montmartre.”

Nowadays, people can visit its fairs, the old train station Rosario Norte —which today houses the Department of Culture and the Museo de la Memoria— or have a coffee or a drink in its bars with tables on the tree-lined sidewalks.

I have created a painting and collage series,: titled “Pichincha Girls”, inspired by this neighborhood and dedicated to all the women that had been part of our history.

Showing in the slideshow are some paintings of this Series, most of them belongs to a lady who lives in Chicago and she has bought them to me.

Enjoy!

Patricia Vidour



http://www.patriciavidour.com