Around the turn of the 20th century and into the 1920s, Halloween postcards were popular. I’ve used some with our online version of the introduction to Halloween, but here are a few more.

In that era, Halloween parties were often an excuse for young adults to get together. (I also included a 1923 story, “The Vow On Halloween” by Lyllian Huntley Harris, in the anthology that gives us a brief glimpse of a such a party…before things get creepy.) Popular games often involved excuses for mingling with the opposite sex (apple bobbing, for instance) or, mostly for females, fortunetelling about one’s true love.

Here’s one, for instance, encouraging the boy to blow out a candle before the girl bites an apple…

And this one shows a young lady whose future mate in seen in her mirror…

Toss an apple peel over your shoulder on Halloween resulting in seeing the initial of your true love in it’s shape…