Vintage Halloween Postcards: Twelve Little Scenes, One Complete Tuck Set

These vintage Halloween postcards belong to one complete Raphael Tuck & Sons series: set 174, with twelve different fronts. See the whole collection here, then open the exact archive record for any card you’d like to inspect, save, or reproduce as a modern paper copy.

The red-and-gold printed borders and Hallowe’en greetings hold the set together; the pictures give it variety. There are close portraits and scenes with room around their figures, split between six vertical and six horizontal fronts. Browse for the artwork before thinking about a print.

White clothing and blue overalls stand against pale gold; the pumpkins gather near his feet. The upright card includes his whole figure.

One tall child, three small faces below, and the greeting overhead: the difference in scale gives the drawing its humor.

Trees and a house sit behind the child. The broad sky gives this upright card a landscape within it.

I’d choose this front for its orange pumpkin against blue, with the moon and distant house still in view.

The red apple draws attention to the middle, while violets soften the lower left. The greeting runs along the bottom.

Interest spreads between people and objects in this social scene. The pictured arrangement doesn’t supply instructions for a candle-and-apple activity.

A second pumpkin sits low on the right, opposite the bottom greeting. Both corners are busier than the open moonlit walk.

The hands and carving tool belong to the historic illustration. They don’t provide pumpkin-carving guidance for a child.

The figure fills the left side; the oval and pumpkin answer her on the right. Both are essential to this curious picture.

There’s plenty to notice without adding a superstition. The mirror and candle alone don’t establish a ritual or its meaning.

The oversized orange face and human face share the foreground. This card gets its character from their close pairing.

The red cloak fills the lower picture, beside the greeting. Turquoise keeps the black hat distinct from the surrounding color.

The giant pumpkin becomes part of the seated figure’s outline. A red ribbon and the greeting sit higher in the composition.

If the cats brought you here, notice the embrace. It’s quieter than the startled witch and shoulder cat later in the set.

The greeting sits in the open lower right. Pale paper around the opening lets the hat and cat form one compact group.

I’d keep this front intact for the illustrated trick. A modern copy needs no tear or hole; the drawing supplies the effect.

Floating red apples repeat the warm color at a smaller scale. The pale background keeps the figures and tub easy to distinguish.

Enjoy the group as historic imagery. The picture supplies no game rules, hygiene guidance, or method for recreating the gathering.

The dark gate sits between the faces and background. It gives this front more architecture than the other child-and-pumpkin pictures.

Count four pumpkin faces across the wall. Along with the boys and gate, they identify this card beyond its familiar seasonal colors.

Red and orange-gold keep the colors warm, while the black cat and hat stand out sharply. The greeting sits above the pair.

Compare this shoulder cat with the cat in the seated witch’s arms. Here, the shared subjects have a distinctly surprised expression.

The cat sits ahead of the witch; her pointed hand extends the direction. The yellow field makes the broom’s diagonal easy to follow.

After the close portraits, this wide silhouette opens out again. Hat, broom, cat, and crescent stay together in that sweep.