Plastic skeletons are fine. But nothing gives a room that delicious chill quite like something that is actually old. A stranger's face from 1890. A mirror that has been slowly clouding over for a century. A black velvet hat with a little veil.
Here are our favorite slightly spooky, completely real antiques and vintage pieces, for your own Halloween decor or for the friend who has always been a little bit Wednesday Addams. Every piece is one of a kind, so when it's gone, it's gone.
Mourning and memorial pieces
The Victorians lived with death in a way we don't. When someone died at home, the family covered the mirrors, stopped the clocks and laid the coffin out in the front parlor. Mirrors were draped because many believed a soul could become trapped in the glass.
- Antique desilvered mirror with a Rococo garden-party print on the back. The old silvering has worn away into smoky, ghostly patches, so your reflection seems to fade in and out. Turn it around and an 18th-century garden party plays out in the other side of the frame. Our showstopper this season.
- 1827 needlework sampler by Eleanor Mallen, with a hymn verse and a handwritten note from her son, a Methodist minister, calling it the work of "my angel mother."
Faces from the past
Antique photographs are the perfect affordable eerie gift. Real people, real studios, staring back at you across a century or more. Prop a few on a mantel with candles, or frame a group on a gallery wall. Want to know how to date them? See our guide to dating antique photographs.
- 1920s women's club outing with ghostly figures. A semi-transparent woman and a half-faded man linger at the edges of this large 8" x 10" group photo. Count the guests, then look again.
- WWI U.S. Army soldier real photo postcard, with a note on the back from a mother telling her child who he was
- 1920s snapshot of "the Herr Professor & the Madam," with a teasing handwritten note
- Bearded gentleman, Aufrecht studio, Allegheny PA, c. 1885-1895
- Boy in a sailor suit, Dana studio Pittsburgh, 1896
- Young woman in a winter coat and fur muff, Pittsburg PA
- Mrs. Antonia Cannon of Waterville, Maine, dated December 1898
- Emma Harrington of Scranton PA, c. 1883-1890
- Four young men in derby hats, c. 1885-1895
- Tintype of six young men with lapel ribbons, in its original paper sleeve
- Miniature gilt frame with a Victorian lady portrait print
See them all in our Antique Photographs collection.
Dress the part
Mourning dress had strict rules, and black jewelry was a big part of it. Whitby jet was the real thing, and black glass, often called "French jet," was the affordable stand-in. These pieces carry that dark, dramatic look today.
- Black velvet half hat with a feather bird and net veil. Instant widow's chic.
- Black velvet perch hat with a rhinestone brooch, 1940s-1950s
- Victorian style black glass button bracelet
- White-on-black cameo portrait brooch, signed Avon
- Glass cameo ring in a gold-tone rope frame
- Signed Geno gothic cameo dragon brooch with tassels, 1960s
Curious what cameos are made of? Our cameo materials guide explains shell, stone, lava and glass.
Black cats and night owls
- Art Deco style green onyx pin tray with an arched black cat
- Jackie Collins crystal panther brooch with a green eye
- Jointed gold-tone owl pendant necklace
- Cast metal owl bottle opener, for the potion bar
- Andrea by Sadek barn owl figurine, 1986
For the cabinet of curiosities
- Silver plate repousse hand mirror with an engraved "M". Just don't forget to cover it.
- Antique R. Wallace & Sons silverplate snuff box
- Justrite brass carbide miner's cap lamp, patented 1919
- Cigarette pack on a book candle vessel, pure dark academia
- 1994 Theriault's antique doll auction catalog, page after page of antique bisque faces. Learn more in our bisque doll guide.
Styling tips for a Victorian Halloween
- Group antique photographs with candlesticks and a few dried roses for an instant memorial vignette.
- Drape a mirror in black lace, the way a Victorian household would have during mourning.
- Use antique and vintage pieces as your decor all year. Unlike the plastic stuff, these don't go back in a bin on November 1st.
Looking for more? Browse Trinkets and Oddities and New Arrivals, or see all of our guides on the Start Here page.
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