Halloween Countdown, Day 2

[eldritchhobbit]

Breaking news! The long-lost 1916 film starring William Gillette as Sherlock Holmes has been found and will be restored! Here's the full scoop. Now back to our previously scheduled Halloween countdown...

Is it me, or is there something particularly creepy about vintage photos of people of the past in Halloween costume?

I highly recommend the book Haunted Air: Anonymous Halloween Photos from c.1875-1955 by Ossian Brown, which collects some of the best of these disturbing-yet-compelling pictures. (As I recall, this work first appeared on my radar thanks to suggestions from some of you! So thank you!) You can see a gallery of photos and quotes from the book here at BoingBoing.



"All the clocks had stopped. A void out of time. And here they are - looking out and holding themselves still - holding still at that point where two worlds join - the familiar - and the other."
— David Lynch, Introduction, Haunted Air



"These are pictures of the dead: family portraits, mementoes of the treasured, the held-dear-in-heart, now unrecognisable, other."
— Geoff Cox, Afterword, Haunted Air

Comments

[abbie culbertson (from livejournal.com)]

Oh my... what a find! These are delightful. I wish more kids these days would wear homemade costumes instead of all dressing in the same commercial ones.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you enjoyed these, too! I agree with you 100%.