Hand Painted Halloween Postcard with Witch, Broom, and Cat

Witches, as depicted flying on a broomstick with a black cat, are figures steeped in centuries of European folklore and superstition. This imagery was heavily influenced by medieval and early modern beliefs surrounding witchcraft, which often associated these figures with supernatural powers and night-flying rituals, culminating in the notorious witch trials that spanned from the 15th to the 18th centuries. Their enduring visual language later found its way into popular culture, becoming synonymous with the autumn festival of Halloween.

Halloween itself traces its origins to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, a time believed to blur the veil between the living and the dead. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Halloween transitioned into a more secular holiday marked by festive imagery, often including stylized witches, crescent moons, and black cats. Postcards from this era, like the one presented, were instrumental in popularizing and disseminating these playful, yet historically resonant, symbols, helping to define the modern aesthetic of the holiday.