Postcards with Cats: Halloween

Caitlin Dempsey

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"A Thrilling Hallowe'en." (Three black cats flying through the air with Jack-o-lanterns)

Cats, especially black cats, have long been associated with Halloween due to their historical connections with superstition, folklore, and mysticism.

Church documents originating during the Middle Ages linked cats to witchcraft and the supernatural, as they were thought to be the companions or familiars of witches, often said to assist them in their magical endeavors.

These associations have permeated popular culture, and as a result, black cats have become a symbol of Halloween, representing the mysterious and otherworldly aspects of this spooky holiday.

These vintage and public domain Halloween postcards feature black cats.

Postcard entitled, “A Thrilling Hallowe’en.”

Three black cats flying through the air with Jack-o-lanterns, 1910.

A vintage postcard with three black cats being carried by flying jack o lanterns with a smiling moon with the shadow of a witch on a broom.
Ca. 1910. Image: Missouri History Museum

Hallowe’en Pleasures postcard

Hallowe’en Pleasures. Bobbing, bobbing everywhere. Apples in a Tub, 1911

Postcard with a girl bobbing for apples with a black cat watching.
Girl bobbing for apples with a black cat watching, 1911. Missouri Historical Society.

Postcard of a witch riding a broomstick being pulled by a jack-o-lantern with a black cat

Postcard of a witch riding a broomstick with a black cat.
A witch riding a broomstick with a black cat. Ca. 1910. Missouri Historical Society.

1908 Halloween Postcard

This postcard from 1908 features two pumpkins about to kiss while a frightened looking black cat sits below three flying bats. The grandfather clock is striking midnight and the text box in the middle of the postcard features a handwritten “I send you a kiss”.

This postcard from 1908 features two pumpkins about to kiss while a frightened looking black cat sits below three flying bats.  The grandfather clock is striking midnight and the text box in the middle of the postcard features a handwritten "I send you a kiss".
All Hallowe’en greetings, 1908. Public domain via NYPL.

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About the author
Caitlin Dempsey
Caitlin Dempsey holds both a master's in Geography from UCLA and a Master of Library and Information Science. She is the editor of Geographyrealm.com and an avid researcher of geography and feline topics. A lifelong cat owner, Caitlin currently has three rescued cats: an orange tabby, a gray tabby, and a black cat.