Halloween in the Witch City
by Anna Ruane
What do you imagine when you are asked to picture a witch? Most would describe a woman in a pointed hat, with a broomstick and a black cat by their side. But, just where do these depictions originate? Modern imagery associated with witches today was established in early medieval and Renaissance-era English descriptions of witches. English folklore often embodied witches as women (usually older in age) who are malevolent and use their powers for dark deeds. It was believed that their supernatural abilities were passed down maternally and were more often inherited by their daughters.
Another 14th-century English depiction is the witches ability to fly. By this time, English courts were witnessing an increase of complaints of local women flying to gather for the Witches Sabbath. As women are traditionally connected to the domestic sphere, the witches were said to ride on common household tools: brooms, canes, and sticks. These same complaints materialized during the Salem Witch Trials, with accusers claiming to have spotted the witch hovering above them in their rooms and flying off to the Sabbath.
In the above 1903 postcard, the G. Willis Whipple Company illustrated an image of a witch in her classic apparel: a pointed hat, oversized dress, and cloak, flying on a broomstick over a colonial depiction of Salem. Riding as a passenger is a black cat, its back arched and tail fluffed as though shocked by the viewer.
Souvenir Dish, “Witch Dish”
Artist: Ida Upton Paine. Circa 1890. Material: Ceramic. Origin: Salem, Massachusetts.
If you’ve traveled to Salem and purchased a souvenir, chances are more than likely that it has a witch on it. In the 333 years since the Salem Witch Trials, a thirteen-month stretch where over 150 persons were accused of witchcraft and 20 were executed, the city has become synonymous with witches. After the trials were brought to an end, many Salemites ceased to discuss those dark months, where neighbor turned against neighbor and private feuds became public evidence of the devil’s work at play. By the late 1800s, there was a pivotal shift in Salem’s tourism industry. With a declining upper class and an increasing population, new residents were open to discussing the city’s past; especially with the 200 year anniversary of the trials on the horizon. Evidence of the witch trials were on public display: homes were preserved and remodeled to resemble the colonial architecture of Old Salem, history books on the period were being published, and souvenirs were being sold.
Some of the earliest souvenirs sold to commemorate the trials were ceramic pieces painted by Ida Upton Paine, the eldest daughter of the last residents of the Turner-Ingersoll Mansion. Many of Ida’s pieces replicated the same design: a witch with a prominent, pointed nose, tall, brimmed black cap, orange petticoat, and green dress flying on a broomstick. Under the image of the witch is the text “Salem, 1692.” The small scalloped-shaped dish, meant to be used for collecting sewing pins, includes hand-painted pins as another connection to the trials. Pin pricks were an affliction experienced by several accusers during the trials. The young girls claimed that the pins witches stuck into enchanted poppets, a type of doll, caused the young accusers to feel pin pricks in the same locations. Ida had access to pins reportedly used during the trials through the Salem Court House, which displayed the pins in the late 19th-century.
Photograph, Upton Family Halloween Party
Circa 1904.
When it comes to American holidays and traditions, Halloween was not observed by early English colonists. It wasn’t until the arrival of Irish and Scottish immigrants in the 1800s, bringing mixtures of the pagan Samhain and Catholic All Saints Day traditions, that Americans began to don costumes and visit the neighborhood in search of sweet treats (or wicked tricks!) By the late 19th-century, many Americans viewed the holiday as a way to spend time with family and celebrate with one another.
The vintage image above captures members of the Upton family in the attic of the Turner-Ingersoll mansion during a Halloween Party. Found in Elizabeth Upton Haywood Eaton’s scrapbook, the individuals in the photograph have been identified as Earnest Murray, Vay (Brown) Murray, Helen Southwick, Izette Gordon, Lillian Arey, Ralph Haywood, Ida Upton, Pearly Gordon, Ed MacIlroy, and Mary Danforth. Hanging in the background are paper Halloween decorations with spooky smiles.
Photograph, Settlement Children Dressed as Ghosts
Early 1910s.
By the early 1900s, The House of the Seven Gables Settlement Association made its mark as a resource for its local community. Emmerton’s goal was to use the incoming funds earned through the historic house museum to provide educational resources, health services, and community festivities to incoming immigrants in the Derby Street neighborhood. Such festivities included celebrating popular American holiday traditions, including dressing in Halloween costumes.
The image above features two settlement children haunting the front lawn of The Gables in ghost costumes. They are wearing large white masks with small, expressionless faces on them. The children are dressed in large coats, keeping them warm from the crisp October sea breeze, with their arms stretched out to either side of them. Behind them, a portion of the Turner-Ingersoll mansion is visible. The overhang from the great chamber to the parlor tells us that this photo was taken after Emmerton’s 1910 restoration work.
Doll Clothing, Witch’s Hat
Circa 20th Century. Material: Oil Cloth, Feather, Fabric. Origin: American (Likely Salem, Massachusetts).
It is unknown when tall, pointed hats became an iconic element of a witch’s wardrobe, but today, it is rare to see a witch without one. While there are many theories as to where this look originated, this hat likely takes its form from early colonial-era hats. Fashionable amongst 17th-century ladies, wide-brimmed, conical, black woolen hats can be seen in numerous portraits from the era. Taking a further look back, women’s fashion of the medieval period also featured large conical hats. With witchcraft being commonly associated with women, it is no wonder that these hats have become an identifying factor of witches today.
Above is a black oil doll’s hat with a single feather neatly tucked into a golden ribbon. This hand-made hat has a wide brim and forms into a tall point at the top. Dolls clothing items such as this were sold in The Gables’ gift shop to outfit the wooden dolls that were hand-made for the store.
Photograph, Turner Hall Dance
Circa 1960s.
With carved pumpkins littering the street, children in costume running from house to house collecting goodies, the Halloween that many Americans know and love today took full form by the early 20th-century. Continuing with Emmerton’s Settlement work after the founder’s death, The Gables provided space for community events. The image above features ten young children in varying Halloween costumes eagerly waiting to dance at Turner Hall. Purchased by museum founder, Caroline Emmerton, in 1908, Turner Hall was used as a function room and social gathering location for generations of children in the Derby Street neighborhood. Events held here included dance classes and celebrations-including holidays such as Christmas and Halloween. On the back of the image is the handwritten text “Miss Bell’s Ballroom Group Obviously a Halloween Dance, all in Turner Hall.”
Postcard, “Salem Travel Card”
Copyright Klein Postcards. Circa Early 21st-century.
What is a witch without her familiar? The intertwining of black cats and witches has existed in folklore for centuries. A familiar is a creature sent from the devil to aid his followers in their bidding. These imps often take the form of animals- cats, dogs, frogs, birds, snakes, a monkey with the face of a man and the feet of a rooster.
This Salem Travel Card captures several notable Salem buildings, including the Salem Witch Museum, The House of the Seven Gables, and the Custom House, layered over a map of the Massachusetts North Shore region. In the lower right corner, an adorably shy, young witch grips her broomstick as she and her black cat familiar sit on a crescent moon. Her blonde ringlet curls are partially covered by a tall, black, belted cap. Her light green dress complements the large orange cape that drapes behind her (an outfit remarkably similar to Ida Upton’s witches!) Her knee-high socks and Mary Jane shoes give her a 1950s vintage charm. Above her head, three bats flutter by the text “Salem Travel Card.”
Postcard, “Greetings From Salem”
Copyright: Klein Postcards. Circa Early 21st Century.
This postcard combines several classic Halloween elements into one package. The center illustration is of the iconic Turner-Ingersoll mansion, as seen from its colonial revival gardens. In the upper right, written in bold orange script is the text “Greetings From Salem.” To the side, a cheerful young witch sits upon a smiling crescent moon. Her stark blonde pigtails are peeking out from under a large, pointed, black brimmed hat. Her cape flows behind her in the breeze. Below her are five carved pumpkins of various sizes, their glowing smiles differ, giving each a silly, spooky expression of their own. Between the last two pumpkins stands a grinning scarecrow, his round face has a large stitched smile. His straw arms and legs stick out from underneath his patchwork shirt and pants. The back of the postcard describes Salem as a town with “interesting museums, historic homes, and tourist attractions,” with The House of the Seven Gables fitting under all three descriptors.
Book, Doctor Grimshawe’s Secret
Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne. Editor: Julian Hawthorne. Publisher: James R. Osgood and Company. Published 1883.
In search for a spooky story this Halloween? Let Hawthorne’s Doctor Grimshaw Secret weave a tale of horror for you. Published in 1882, nearly twenty years after the author’s death, this science fiction novel centers around two children residing in a cobweb-filled mansion alongside their guardian, an off-putting, secretive man who keeps a large spider above his bed. The tale follows the life of one of the young children as he comes to understand his past and the strange events within it. While the novel was published posthumously and likely was not in its final form, it has similar themes to many of Hawthorne’s classics. Doctor Grimshawe’s Secret examines how the past affects the present, the decline of the aristocratic class, and the pressures of maintaining an illusion. The title of the novel is inspired by yet another Salem building: the home of Doctor Nathaniel Peabody, the father of Sophia, the artist and wife of Hawthorne. The novel is dedicated to Hawthorne’s youngest daughter, Rose, and his son-in-law, George Parsons Lathrop.
This 1883 edition has an embossed black design with gold text reading “Dr. Grimshawe’s Secret” and “Nath’l Hawthorne.” The center image features cobwebs littering the ceiling and spiders dangling from their webs. A misty fog clouds the ceiling, veiling a shadowy figure of a man seated behind a table. In the foreground, two young children sit at attention, staring at the hidden man.
Print, “Pandora’s Box”
Artist: Arthur Rackham. Circa 1915.
The story of Pandora’s Box is not typically associated with the Halloween season, but English illustrator Arthur Rackham’s depiction adds a spooky element to the tale. Known for his depictions of popular children’s stories, such as Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan, Rackham also illustrated a 1915 edition of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s A Wonder Book for Boys and Girls.
In Hawthorne’s retelling of the classic myth, titled “The Paradise of Children,” the world is inhabited by young children. Living in a utopian community, the children do not participate in heavy labor. They wear no clothing and do no cooking, relying on their surroundings for food. Upon Pandora’s arrival, she notices an odd box in Epidmetheus’ home and becomes fixated on learning its contents. On her first day alone, Pandora’s curiosity gets the best of her and she opens the box, introducing “Troubles,” as Hawthorne calls them, to the world. The Troubles are described as strange-shaped creatures with bat-like wings and stinging tails. In Rackham’s illustration, a nude girl kneels on a decorative carpet. As she opens a large wooden crate in front of her, bat-like creatures are swarming around her.
Print, “House of Seven Gables”
Artist: Dorothy Lake Gregory. Circa early 20th-century.
Born in New York City in 1893, artist Dorothy Lake Gregory studied art for most of her later education. As a young adult, she traveled to Provincetown, Massachusetts to study under Charles Webster Hawthorne, founder of the Cape Cod School of Art.
In the above print, Gregory captures the eeriness of the enormous, antique home that inspired Hawthorne. In this charcoal sketch, a cloaked man, who looks particularly like the description of Judge Pyncheon, braces against the wind as he makes his way down the street. Behind him, a young girl (perhaps Hawthorne’s Phoebe) carries a basket and heads in the opposite direction. One can hear the bristling of the leaves in the old Pyncheon elm as the autumn breeze passes through them. Gregory’s use of negative space reflects the secrets and dark past of the declining Pyncheon mansion.
Classic’s Illustrated No. 52, “The House of Seven Gables”
1948.
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1851 work The House of the Seven Gables has many classic horror elements: a creepy old house, a generational curse, an isolated family, and the looming threat of death. In 1948, Classics Illustrated published their comic adaptation of The House of the Seven Gables. The growing popularity of the Classics Illustrated series led the company to republish many of their works: a first for comic history!
The cover of The House of the Seven Gables, released in October 1948, depicts characters from the book. Phoebe Pyncheon, the dark-haired cousin of the house’s owner, wears a vivid scarlet dress. She cowers behind Holgrave, a boarder at The Gables, who is shown in a stylized 20th-century interpretation of 19th-century attire; a black, tailed overcoat and gray-and-black pinstriped pants. The pair stand in a graveyard, with a black church looming in the background. Holgrave protectively wraps an arm around Phoebe, his left hand extended to ward off a large, ghostly head. Looming over the couple is Hepzibah, another Pyncheon family descendant, glaring intently at them. In front of Hepzibah is a large, black, churchlike building. Clifford appears above the church, his face melancholy as he gazes from behind prison bars, awaiting release after his false imprisonment.