In 1900, 4-year old Helen Weyand had an idea. She asked her mother to hold a Halloween party for children dressed in character costumes.

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2 In 1900, 4-year old Helen Weyand had an idea. She asked her mother to hold a Halloween party for children dressed in character costumes. Helen came dressed as the Philadelphia Inquirer complete with a skirt consisting of the newspaper masthead and carrying a copy of the paper. Two of her friends came dressed as a miniature George Washington and the other as the Yellow Kid, a comic strip character from a strip known as Hogan s Alley. (In the comic strip this character wore a yellow nightshirt.) Helen s party idea made the newspaper the next day. At the time it was unusual to have a dress-up event for children on Halloween. But prior to Helen s party, centuries of adults participated in masquerade attributed to a Celtic harvest festival known as Samhain, celebrated on November 1 st. 2

3 Participants in the ceremony dressed in costume to disguise themselves from the deceased and lit bonfires for sacrifices. Black as a symbol of death, orange for strength and endurance, and the harvest colors of brown and gold have their beginnings in this pagan event. In the British Isles, an evil blacksmith named Jack walked the earth carrying a lantern to light his way. While Americans typically carve pumpkins to make a Jack O Lantern, Scots originally used turnips, the Irish used potatoes, and many English hollowed out beets. They must have been larger than the ones in our grocery stores. Once these immigrants moved to America pumpkins became the vegetable of choice. Costume choices varied by decade. Most of the children s costumes seen in 19th and early 20th century photos were homemade. Paper patterns were available from the Pictorial Patterns Co. You can find a wide range of vintage patterns on the Vintage Patterns website. (Search Halloween to see matches.) You can see which costumes were popular for each time period, as well as find your favorite childhood design. Commercially produced costumes weren't available until the 1930s. Browse the Historic Sears Catalog on Ancestry.com (subscription site) to see your grandmother's costume choices. Both of these sites give 3

4 you an opportunity to see what themes were popular for dress-up in earlier generations. Long-term standards like witches and goblins always combine with contemporary media favorites in every generation. The trend to impersonate popular figures continues today. Politicians, television and movie characters and cartoon figures are all commonplace with today s trick or treaters. See if you can spot the roots of the costumed figures that ring your doorbell this year. Find Your Halloween Heritage Dig through your box of family photos to see who you have in costume. Be careful not to mix up images of ancestors in unusual dress with being in costume for a party. Our ancestors dressed up with their native costumes for weddings and other picture taking events. Also, costume parties weren t held just on Halloween, some charity balls requested attendees dress-up. Ask relatives to tell you about their Halloween costumes and memories. You ll be able to put together the story and pictures to make a memorable family album. Ask questions about their costume choices, their trick or treat rewards and even their pranks. 4

5 Costumes weren t just for Halloween. School plays and Fall festivals were also occasions to dress-up. This group of children dressed like fruit and vegetables in the 1920s. 5

6 How to Date a Halloween Picture To pinpoint the exact year of a Halloween picture, look beyond the clothing to two details on the picture: Photographer's name: Use city directories to discover when a photographer was in business. Department stores offered photo services to customers inviting them to pose in the Halloween costumes. Stamp box on a Real Photo Postcard: The stamp box on the back of a postcard identifies the paper manufacturer, and the design helps narrow down a time frame. Use Playle.com s Guide to Real Photo Postcards to determine a tentative date. Don t forget to watch the background of the scene for clues to where it was taken, such as a backyard, store signage or vehicle. Study your other photos for those taken on the same occasion or in the same studio. For more information on examining photos read The Family Photo Detective (Family Tree Books, 2013). 6

7 Union View Co., Young Folks Series, late 1860s early 1870s. The Jack O Lantern Feeling patriotic this Halloween? Why not decorate your lantern with an American Flag as this young boy did. 7

8 Symbols of America Fontinella Weller posed as Columbia, Mother of the Republic for her father F.G. Weller of Littleton, N.H. on March 13, The depicting of individuals as symbols of America goes back to the founding of this country. Fontanella has a serious expression on her face while holding the flag. Her white Roman-style dress with a crown identifies her as "Columbia, Mother of the Republic." In the late 18th and early 19th century, Columbia was a woman, but as seen here, in the mid-to-later 19th century, she became younger. This is likely an image for a patriotic event, but this style of dress later became a popular Halloween costume. 8

9 In the 1870s, this boy dressed as a colonial figure. His parent s documented the elaborate costume with this photograph. Unfortunately, the reason he s in costume is unknown. Wearing Colonial and Revolutionary attire as Halloween costumes remained popular into the 20 th century. 9

10 1870s and 1880s Dressing up in character actually dates from the late 19th century. An article in Godey s Lady s Book (October 1872) mentions that Halloween was a time for hard cider and donuts. Costumes debuted a decade later. In the 1880s Caledonian Clubs of Scottish immigrants and descendants held Halloween gatherings that typically included singing, musical accompaniment (including a bagpipe player) and dancing. This decorated paper frame suggests this woman posed in the 1860s. Her dress, hair, and hat are much earlier. She s wearing clothing from the circa 1810 period. Perhaps she wore this to a historical reenactment, a costume party or she s an actress. 10

11 In the 1870s, this Binghamton, New York woman posed in a European inspired costume. On her head is a hat. 11

12 This 1870s ambiguous photo is a puzzle. Is it a woman dressed like a man, or a young man? The person s short hair suggests it s the latter. The fake beard and the long pipe could be props for a play or part of a costume. 12

13 A young girl posed in the 1880s in dress, wig and cap holds a cane in her hand. The cane suggests she s dressed as an older person. This could be for a theatrical performance or an early costume for an event. 13

14 This 1880s woman wore an unusual outfit into the tintype studio. Her dress features shiny decorations, an apron, and a wide lace collar. She holds a riding crop. On her head is a light colored fake wig. 14

15 1890s By the mid-1890s, the vast majority of Halloween parties were held by other types of local groups. Fancy dress was required. Women wore variously colored dresses for these events. One design featured copper colored Chinese silk decorated with black bats. Ensembles inspired by foreign lands such as an Italian girl costume with a red robe trimmed with fur or the long trousers and red blouse of a Hindu prince often won prizes at these parties. The miniature images on this advertising card show women dressed in elaborate costumes and hats of the type worn to fancy balls. 15

16 Washington Duke with son James and business partner George W. Watts began manufacturing pre-made cigarettes in By 1890 they were the Largest Cigarette Manufacturers in the World. 16

17 Within a decade of Helen s youthful merriment, Halloween became a popular holiday. Halloween came of age in the period Suddenly, there were notices for decorations and costumes, listing everything a person would need for a successful party from pumpkins to noise-makers and party favors. A headline in the Dallas Morning News of October 8, 1916 bragged that Halloween Costume Parties will add New Interest to Old Time Festival. There were group sponsored theme parties, but it appears most were held in homes of socially prominent individuals. While individuals could rent or buy costumes, most made their costumes from paper or appropriately colored or decorated fabric. Department store photo studios encouraged customers to stop by to take home postcard pictures of themselves in their costumes. Popular outfits for adults and children included foreign dress, clowns, witches, scarecrows, and military-themed attire. At a party in Port Townsend, Washington in 1914, the most common costume was a domino. It s not the game piece, but an outfit with 17

18 origins in medieval Venice. It consisted of a dark loose cloak with a half mask worn over the face similar to the Phantom of the Opera. Some of the outfits mentioned in news stories are interesting to note, but easier understood when placed in historical context: A girl from Saskatchewan, or the figure from the Cream of Wheat box. Some copied Broadway characters, such as the Yama Yama girl, played by actress Bessie McCoy who wore a clown costume with cone shaped hat during the production of The Yama Yama. To discover which costumes were popular you can read newspaper accounts of these parties. For instance, prize-winning costumes at one 1916 Illinois event were as follows: men (hobo, female impersonator, and military), women (witch, military, and Columbia, a female symbol of the United States) and children (policeman and a Goddess of Liberty including the Statue of Liberty). Children s costumes were available for purchase in department stores, with a western theme--an Indian ($1.50) or cowboy outfit (79 cents). The 1912 Sears Roebuck Co. catalog featured a whole page of dressup clothes for boys with a few for girls ranging from western attire to policemen and soldiers. The roots of today s costume safety concerns also made the news. A small boy died in 1919 when his costume caught fire. And Mrs. Ray 18

19 Martin of Dallas died when she crossed the road and directly ran into a moving car. Her vision obscured by her heavy mask. Sometime between 1900 and 1920, a young woman dressed as a Pierrot, a clown with roots in the seventeenth century, and her little dog posed for this photo. 19

20 Costumes weren t restricted to Halloween. This fanciful pair dressed as Harlequin and Columbina were likely at a fancy dress ball. Harlequin, a light-hearted servant, in his checkered costume, was a feature of 16 th and 17 th -century comedies. His love interest was Columbina, a servant, and Pierrot s wife. All three characters were mainstay costumes for Halloween and dress-up parties. 20

21 A wedding themed postcard, The jack-o-lanterns and the flower girl in costume identify it as Halloween. 21

22 This circa 1914 postcard shows a popular Halloween game. The poem refers to the superstition that on Halloween if you stood with a candle, an apple, and a knife and looked at your reflection in a mirror you would see your future husband. This woman lacks the knife and the apple. The clover symbol for luck, bats, black cats and children posed with a pumpkin on a stick were common Halloween symbols in this period. 22

23 A smiling witch in a red costume waves her wand at a flame filled pumpkin, She is encouraging those green creatures to meet their end in the fire. 23

24 Four clowns with hand-painted faces, circa

25 No party would be complete without food related to the Halloween theme. In 1914, American Cookery magazine featured a recipe for a witchy cake. 25

26 Thanksgiving Not Halloween There were plenty of street urchins in ragged clothes in New York City in the circa-1900 period imitating the tradition of mummering. The latter term is associated with men who'd dress in costume and go door to door asking for food and money. In return, they'd play music. It is thought to be a tradition in rural Ireland. Long before Macy's began its Thanksgiving parade tradition, groups of New Yorkers in costume would march down the streets. If your ancestors lived in New York, perhaps they passed down a story or two about going door to door on Thanksgiving. 26

27 1920s In the 1920s, newspapers continued to run instructions on how to create Halloween attire as well as advertisements for hands-on costume making classes. Holiday themed fabrics in solid colors or orange with black figures cost nineteen cents a yard. Pattern making companies offered women a way to make their own costumes. One newspaper advised using crepe paper around the neck and waist to create a Hawaiian dancer s outfit that reflected the public s fascination with hula dancers. Department store ads featured costumes ranging in price from $1.49 to $37.50 and included clowns, foreign attire, gypsies, pirates, and the clown Pierrot (a character with roots in the seventeenth century). He wore a frilled collar, and a cone-shaped hat. Men and women could dress like Martha Washington, the Queen of Hearts, rabbits or whatever they could create with fake wigs, heads, masks and make-up. During the Depression, children dressed as hobos, burglars and other symbols of the economic poverty of the era. 27

28 A 1924 postcard shows off a costume made with pre-printed fabric, making it easier for Mom s to make Halloween outfits. 28

29 An adult version of a Pierrot costume, circa

30 Two girls, 1920s. Their pom-pom decorated shoes are part of their costume. 30

31 House party, circa Men dressed as women, a knife-wielding pirate, a woman as a man and a clown are in this crowd. 31

32 A 1920s house party with a variety of costumes: A leopard, a sultan ala Rudolph Valentino, a flapper, a Russian count, a ballerina and several members of the Shryock Circus Band. 32

33 Mothers could buy play clothes and costumes through the Sears catalog. This could depict Halloween or a little boy playing dress-up in the backyard, circa

34 1930s and 1940s By the 1930s, most of the previously mentioned outfits remained in vogue, but more individuals sought to mimic roles from popular movies such as the 1939 Wizard of Oz. Cartoon characters like Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, Popeye, and Olive Oyl masks created from buckram fabric or cardboard became popular. (Hard plastic massproduced masks weren t introduced until the 1960s.) Five adults in Halloween costumes, circa 1940 (l to r), Tom Mix (a movie star known for acting in Westerns); an early aviator; a 1930s woman; a man with odd goggles; and an older man holding a rifle. 34

35 Four individuals dressed as (l to r) a man; a clown; a Pierrot; and a man in a tuxedo. 1940s. 35

36 Photo Credits Unless otherwise stated, all images are in the collection of the author. Children s Parade, St. Nicholas Magazine, 1873:87 Fontanella Weller, Library of Congress W. Dukes and Co. tobacco, Library of Congress Pierrot with dog, Library of Congress 1914 postcard, Collection of Kathleen Hinckley Halloween Cake, American Cookery, 1919:193 Thanksgiving dress-up, Library of Congress. Copyright 2016 Maureen Taylor Published by Picture Perfect Press ISBN:

37 Books by Maureen Taylor 37