What have they come as? Halloween costume inspiration from the kids of 1887

Source: The Guardian Australia · 2026-10-30T03:21:03.000Z · World

Are you rummaging about for bits of wire and pumpkin-coloured crêpe paper and wondering if a scorch-marked tea-towel will work as a devil’s cape for a nine-year-old? Spare a thought for the parents of Australian kids going to a fancy-dress party in 1887 Actually, don’t – their costumes were made by professional costumiers, befitting the hundreds of posh kids who sashayed into the lord mayoress’s fancy-dress ball for children at Adelaide town hall nearly 140 years ago. But their rare and incredibly detailed photos could provide some Halloween inspiration. My happy place is a hushed archive reading room looking at objects. I was looking for copyright-free researching images for my latest book, Spooky Ladies, and silently squeed as these costume photos were delivered in a very long, narrow, custom-made heritage-green box by the good folk at the State Library of South Australia, packed tightly with more than 300 stiff “cabinet cards”, showing kids dressed as fairies, devils, astrologers, witches, and fortune tellers. Continue reading...

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