Halloween greetings cards from the late 19th to the early 20th centuries often bore the images of traditional Halloween games that were popular at that time.
Games involving, inter alia, apples, mirrors and walnuts were all played during the Halloween festivities. Some of the games were played to bring about "divining", a type of fortune telling.
Thousands of Halloween postcards were produced at the turn of the 20th century. The postcards of the 1920s regularly depict children, but do not show trick-or-treating.
Today collecting Vintage Halloween postcards is a popular activity for many enthusiasts. Thousands of beautiful vintage Halloween images can be found within the public domain.
Wikipedia states that the editor of a collection of over 3,000 vintage Halloween postcards commented: "There are cards which mention the custom of trick-or-treating or show children in costumes at the doors, but as far as we can tell they were printed later than the 1920s and more than likely even the 1930's. Tricksters of various sorts are shown on the early postcards, but not the means of appeasing them"[1]
Boy and girl with a giant jack-o-lantern, vintage Halloween postcard.
Circa 1910 card which depicts two children carrying a large jack-o-lantern while being watched by a black cat and an owl.
Postacrd which depicts a boy with a jack-o-lantern.
A jack-o-lantern creature riding on a broomstick. Card produced between 1900 and 1910.
Circa 1910 postcard which depicts jack-o'-lantern-headed ghosts flying through the air with black cats. A witch flying on a broomstick across the moon can be seen in the background.
Postcard which depicts goblins running away from a jack-o-lantern.
Circa 1910 card which depicts a demon sitting on top of a jack-o-lantern.
A woman sees an image of her future husband by looking in a mirror on Halloween night. 1904 card by Ellen Clapsdale.
Another postcard in which a woman sees the face of her future husband in a mirror on Halloween night.
Another card by an unknown which shows the same Halloween tradition. The shadow of a witch can also be seen.
Card produced around the year 1880 which depicts a woman seeing the image of her future husband in a mirror. The shadow of a witch with a broomstick, a black cat and a pumpkin can also be seen.
A woman is disappointed with the image of a future husband that she sees in the mirror on Halloween night.
A woman stares into the mirror for a long time on Halloween night but does not see a vision of her future husband.
Another humorous postcard in which a woman fails to see the face of her future husband in a mirror on Halloween night.
1900 American card which depicts a little girl looking in a mirror while combing her hair at midnight on Halloween in order to see an image of her future husband.
An unusual American Halloween card from 1901.
Circa 1910 card which depicts a pumpkin-headed motorist.
1914 card that depicts a jack-o'-lantern, a witch and vegetable people in a car with a face.
A young girl is puzzled by the sight of a jack o'lantern. 1909 card by an unknown artist.
A girl gets a fright on Halloween night. 1910 card by an unknown artist.
Postcard which depicts a witch and her black cat on a broomstick.
Postcard which depicts a young witch and her black cat on a broomstick.
Circa 1910 postcard which depicts a witch and a black cat on a broomstick pulled by a pumpkin.
Postcard which depicts a flying witch, a jack-o-lantern and some bats.
Postcard which depicts a witch in an airplane and some owls.
Postcard which gives advice on how people can protect themselves from wicked witches.
Card produced around the year 1880 which depicts a mother and daughter watching a witch fly past their open window.
A card with an image of a witch's head and a jack-o-lantern preserved in the Special Collections of the Toronto Public Library.
1911 card that depicts an attractive young witch on a broomstick.
Early 20th century postcard that depicts a witch using her cauldron to cast a spell.
Postcard which depicts some children making a model witch with a pumpkin head. A real witch watches from the moon.
A card with an illustration by the American artist Frances Brundage (1854-1937).
A card with an illustration by Frances Brundage which depicts a girl in a witch costume holding a black kitten.
Early 20th century card that depicts a boy surprised to see a nighttime parade of black cats wearing conical hats and carrying jack-o'-lanterns.
A card from around the year 1910 with an illustration by Frances Brundage.
Postcard which depicts a young woman wearing a mask.
A jack-o-lantern man and a young woman. 1912 card by John Winsch.
Circa 1910 postcard which depicts three pumpkin-headed vegetable people, a little girl blowing a horn and a black cat.
1908 American Halloween postcard.
Postcard which depicts the aftermath of a Halloween prank.
Pre-1920 card with racist caricatures of African-American children.
.jpg "\"Halloween Greetings.\" (Two boys carrying a large Jack-O-Lantern).jpg (12.79 MB)")
.jpg "\"A Thrilling Hallowe'en.\" (Three black cats flying through the air with Jack-o-lanterns).jpg (11.12 MB)")
.jpg "\"Hallowe'en.\" (Devil-demon seated on top of a Jack-O-Lantern).jpg (7.64 MB)")
.jpg "Greeting Card, ca. 1880 (CH 18442865).jpg (6.05 MB)")
.jpg "\"You Auto Have a Happy Hallowe'en.\" (Jack-O-Lantern driving a car).jpg (16.48 MB)")
.jpg "\"Hallowe'en.\" (A Witch riding a broomstick being pulled by a jack-o-lantern with a black cat).jpg (12.4 MB)")
.jpg "Greeting Card, ca. 1880 (CH 18442867).jpg (6.04 MB)")
.jpg "Hallowe'en greetings (22611725226).jpg (890 KB)")
.jpg "\"A Merry Halloween.\" (Girl blowing a horn with three Jack-o-Lanterns).jpg (12.86 MB)")
