Walls and Ceilings - Repainting "rainbow" textured walls

I was wondering if anyone has experience with walls that have a rainbow brush stroke pattern. I assume this was popular in the 1950's but am unable to find a name for the technique or advice on how to smooth it out (or if that's even possible).

Does anyone have a name? Or, a good site to search for possibilities.

thank you.
Jennie

Hail, Hail, Old Purdue
All Hail Our Old Gold and Black
Go Boilers!!!!

Its accomplished with either a dash brush loaded with plaster putty coat or with a semi-rigid porous sponge float, most commonly used with stucco.
The tool is loaded and the material is applied with a twisting motion. It was also applied in complete circles.
You can smooth it out by applying drywall compound.

by rainbow do you mean like a stack of old phonograph records stacked one over the next by about half? or like scallop, the mollusk, shells or something else? Can you post a picture?
Snoonyb might have the right idea.
Is this in plaster or drywall?
But what you want to do is elimiate it? I like setting joint compound like EasySand by USG or something by their competitors. It sets chemically and can be given a second coat as soon as the first one is hard. Put it on as tightly as you can even if it means doing multiple coats.

I am going up to the house today, I will take a picture. Probably makes more sense than trying to describe.

I'm not sure I want to eliminate it, but I have tired of it over the 23 years my father owned the house. I'm sure a coat of paint will make a world of difference.

My major problem is that there are so many cracks to be repaired, and when the new windows are put in there are bound to be more - nothing was done to the house in 23 years (no painting, no maintenance, nothing).