Vintage Halloween Postcard Ephemera
These free ephemera sheets are made up of images from vintage Halloween Postcards. They depict traditional Halloween imagery such as witches, black cats, and Jack-O’-Lanterns.
Scroll down all the way down, and you’ll find two different collage sheets. The first is a sheet of 3.5” wide journal cards followed by a sheet of 2.5” circles.
If you like these, you may also want to check out my growing selection of free Halloween collage sheets.
3.5” Wide Cards
The association of witches, black cats, and Jack-o'-lanterns with Halloween has deep historical and cultural roots. These symbols have become iconic elements of the holiday, and their origins can be traced back to various traditions and superstitions
Witches have long been linked to Halloween due to its origins in the Celtic festival of Samhain, a time when the boundary between the living and the dead was believed to blur, allowing supernatural entities like witches to roam freely. These witches were often seen as practitioners of malevolent magic, and it was believed that they gathered on Halloween night to cause mischief.
Black cats have also been intertwined with Halloween for centuries, primarily due to superstitions and folklore. In medieval Europe, black cats were considered omens of bad luck and were often linked to witches. Some believed that witches could transform into black cats, while others thought these felines were witches in disguise. These superstitions became ingrained in Halloween traditions, solidifying the connection between black cats and the holiday.
The tradition of carving Jack-o'-lanterns has its origins in Ireland, where turnips were initially used. The term "Jack-o'-lantern" derives from an Irish folktale featuring Stingy Jack, a man who outsmarted the devil and was condemned to wander with a lit turnip to light his way. When Irish immigrants arrived in America, they adapted the tradition to pumpkins, which were more readily available. Jack-o'-lanterns were often carved with menacing faces to ward off evil spirits, including witches, on Halloween night.
In contemporary times, these associations have become essential elements of Halloween's cultural and aesthetic fabric. While the superstitions surrounding these symbols have largely waned, they continue to be celebrated as playful and spooky icons of the holiday, adding imagination and charm to Halloween festivities. These traditions serve as a reminder of Halloween's rich historical tapestry, blending diverse customs and beliefs into the vibrant celebration we know today.
2.5” Circles
Use these in art journaling, junk journaling, bullet journaling, collage, artist trading cards (ATCs), scrapbooking and other mixed media artwork and crafts.
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You may also enjoy these free collage sheets.
Terms of use:
Free to use for personal or commercial projects. You may print the collage sheets as many times as you wish for your personal crafts or in your projects to sell, including: art journals, scrapbooks, junk journals, collage art, etc. You may not redistribute or sell the collage sheets “as is" in either print or digital form.
If you wish to share the files on your own website, please do not make the files available for download directly from your site. Instead, include an image with a link back to this site.
To the best of my knowledge, these are all royalty free images that are in the Public Domain in the US. However, you should always do your own research if you plan to use them commercially.
