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35 Free Vintage Halloween Art Prints In The Public Domain

Ghosts, ghouls, and goblins, oh my! As the leaves rustle and the nights get longer, the enchanting world of vintage Halloween art in the Public Domain beckons.

Whether you’re a seasoned collector, a creative soul, or simply a lover of autumn festivities, you’re in for a treat! This curated collection, brimming with charm and mystery, offers a glimpse into Halloweens of yore through the rich tapestry of free, high-quality vintage illustrations and images.

Join us on a whimsical journey through the spooky, eerie, and downright delightful realms of vintage Halloween art in the Public Domain!

These free vintage illustrations feature spooky art from the past, showcasing classic Halloween themes such as witches, monsters, ghosts, black cats, and other dark, sinister, and satanic creatures.

I’ve already featured many vintage Halloween images of animals, from spiders to enigmatic owls and spooky bats. I even have a charming collection of vintage Halloween postcards.

This collection focuses on vintage Halloween-themed art in old books and art galleries, such as the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

skeleton vintage Halloween art print pin

How To Download The Vintage Halloween Illustrations

For a free, high-quality download of these printables, click on the title above the free Halloween images. A high-resolution vintage image will open in a new tab, where you can save or print it.

These images make a fantastic Halloween card, perfect for macabre creative pursuits and spooky decoration.

Skeleton & Skull Halloween Art

Print 1: Witches & Skeleton Around a Cauldron

This satirical cartoon on the Peace of Amiens, 1802, C. Starcke, after James Gillray. But it has a very Halloween vibe, with the Witches having a Halloween party around a bubbling cauldron.

The Treaty of Amiens temporarily ended hostilities between France and the United Kingdom at the end of the War of the Second Coalition.

Witches cauldren

Print 2: Dancing Skeletons

“Dancing Skeletons” is a notable woodcut print by Michel Wolgemut from 1493, illustrating the “Danse Macabre” or “Dance of Death” theme, typical in the late medieval period.

Check out these other skeleton illustrations.

Dancing Skeletons vintage Halloween illustrations

Print 3: Flower Skull Images

Flower-wreathed skull, Pieter Schenk 1670-1713.

Check out these other human skull drawings.

Print 4: Skeleton of A Hand

Skeleton of a Hand by Jan l’Admiral, who lived from 1709 to 1773.

Vintage Halloween Art skeleton of a hand

Print 5: Skeleton Bust

Vintage Halloween drawing of a toothless skeleton bust, Egbert van Panderen, after Joannes Bernardinus S., c. 1590 – 1637.

Vintage skeleton bust

Print 6: Human and Gorilla Skeleton

Staging of human and gorilla skeletons at the table, Carl Huth, 1878

Human and gorilla skeleton

Print 7: Skeleton on a Gravestone

Winged skeleton with hourglass on a gravestone, Teodoro Filippo di Liagno, 1642.

Skeleton on a Gravestone

Spooky Creatures

Print 8: Flying Black Bat

This spooky-looking vintage bat drawing was part of a brand design for a company in Amsterdam in 1903.

Flying black bat Halloween art in the Public Domain

Print 9: Flying Bats In Moonlight

This Japanese painting falls into the Halloween image remit with its bats flying across a moonlit sky. It is by Ohara Koson.

Bats in moon light Ohara Koson

Print 10: The Black Cat

No vintage Halloween image collection is complete without a black cat or two!

The “Tournee du Chat Noir, 1896” is an iconic poster by Théophile Alexandre Steinlen, promoting the famous Le Chat Noir cabaret in Bohemian Montmartre, Paris.

Featuring a large black cat, the design is a celebrated example of Art Nouveau style and symbolizes the vibrant artistic and cultural life of the Belle Époque era. Steinlen’s work remains one of the most recognizable in 19th-century poster art.

Le Chat Noir

Print 11: The Witch & the Black Cat

La Sorcière au chat noir,” translating to “The Witch with the Black Cat,” is a notable work by French artist Paul Ranson, a member of the Nabis group of post-impressionist avant-garde artists active in the 1890s.

the witch and black cat

Print 12: Pied Crow

Pied crow on a branch, Theo van Hoytema, 1878 – 1910.

Pied Crow vintage Halloween art

Print 13: Bat And Tower

Spooky bat and tower illustration by Jacques de Sève, 1773.

vintage bat and tower

Print 14: The Raven

Félix Bracquemond 1854

Balck and white vintage spooky print of Ravens

Print 15: Top of the Swing Door

More spooky bird drawings by Félix Bracquemond, 1852.

dead birds pinned to a swing door spooky halloween image

Ghosts and Spooky Scenes

Print 16: Figures At The Gates of Hell

“Figuren voor de hellepoort,” by Dutch artist Simon Fokke (1712-1784), translates to “Figures at the Gates of Hell.” Likely depicting a detailed and allegorical scene at hell’s entrance.

Figures of gates of hell

Print 17: Dead Bird and Pumpkin

Still life with dead bird and pumpkin, Eduard Isaac Asser, c. 1855.

Still life with dead bird and pumpkin, Eduard Isaac Asser, c. 1855

Print 18: Spooky Gates

Fallen Greatness, Smeeton-Tilly, after Louis Apol, c. 1874 – 1888.

Spooky Gates vintage Halloween illustrations

Print 19: Medical Scene

Scene from the comedy Krispijn Medicine by Cornelis Troost (1696-1750), a notable Dutch painter and pastellist known for his genre scenes, portraits, and theatrical subjects.

I picked the spooky vintage art painting for the skeleton in the cupboard and death coming through the door.

Vintage Halloween art skeleton in the cupboard

Print 20: Haunted House Float

Float with tower and bats during Mardi Gras in Nice, anonymous, 1875.

Vintage Halloween image haunted house float

Print 21: Transformation

I chose this image for this vintage Halloween art collection because it has a ghostly vibe. Louis Ducos du Hauron painted it.

Ghostly transformation Halloween art

Print 22: Ghost

Ghost by Heinz von Essen, 1926. This image looks like someone in a Halloween costume.

Ghost vintage Halloween image Heinz Von Essen

Print 23: Owl in Moonlight

Owl In Moonlight

Print 24: Spooky Witches

Five silhouetted witches from the Welcome collection.

five silhouetted witches

Print 25: Los Chinchillas

This is an etching from his series “Los Caprichos,” a set of 80 prints created by Goya in 1797 and 1798. The prints showcase a range of themes, including the Spanish society of his time, the corruption of the Church, and superstitions.

I’ve included this print in this collection of vintage Halloween illustrations as the monsters remind me of Frankenstein’s Monster!

Vintage Halloween Art Frances De Goya Etchings

Francisco de Goya’s Spooky Art

Francisco de Goya (1746–1828) was a prominent Spanish romantic painter and printmaker, widely regarded as one of the last of the Old Masters and a forerunner to the modern artistic movements.

Goya’s work is known for its diverse themes, from royal portraits to scenes of war and haunting, fantastical images.

Print 26: Witches

Paintings of witches in the Museo Lázaro Galdiano. “Las Brujas,” which translates to “The Witches,” is a theme that Francisco Goya explored in several of his works, depicting scenes of witchcraft and the supernatural.

Witches Francisco DeGoya

Print 27: Witches’ Sabbath

Witches’ Sabbath” (1797–1798) Also known as “The Great He-Goat,” this painting features a coven of witches gathered around a goat, a symbol of Satan. The scene is dark and eerie, with the distorted features of the witches adding to the unsettling atmosphere.

The Sabbath of Witches Francisco DE Goya

Print 28: The Bewitched Man

The Bewitched Man Francisco De Goya

Print 29: The Old Woman (Time)

Another De Goya painting fits the vintage Halloween art theme. “El Tiempo,” or “Time,” also known as “La Vieja” or “The Old Woman,” is one of Francisco de Goya’s Black Paintings.

The artwork features an old, winged woman representing time or old age, holding a timekeeping device and walking forward.

The painting explores decay, death, and the passage of time, reflecting the dark and reflective nature of Goya’s later works. It is currently housed in the Museo del Prado in Madrid.

Vintage Halloween Art in the Public Domain Fransico De Goya Old Woman Painting

Holbein’s Dance of Death

Holbein’s Dance of Death woodcuts are wonderfully spooky for Halloween. Made in the 1500s, they show cheeky skeletons dragging off everyone from peasants to kings. The bold black-and-white style feels even eerier once you know they were intended as moral lessons about mortality.

They also make brilliant printable Halloween art—perfect for wall decor, garlands, or even treat bag toppers. Vintage, creepy, and just the right mix of fun and unsettling!

Print 30: Nobleman Dance of Death

Hans HOLBEIN death dance the nobleman

Print 31: The Dance of Death: The Astrologer; The Rich Man

Hans Holbein The Dance of Death: The Astrologer; The Rich Man

P 32: Dance of Death, The Doctor

Hans Holbein dance of death the doctor spooky halloween image with skeleton

Print 33: The Trumpeters of Death

Holbeins Dance of Death the trumpeters of death skeletons playing the trumpet

Print 34: Dance of Death, The Abbot

Dance of Death by hans Holbein the Abbot with skeleton

P 35: Dance of Death, The Old Man

Old man with skeleton Hans Holbein dance of death woodcut print

Other Halloween Prints

I know there aren’t many pumpkin heads in this collection, but you will find plenty more vintage Halloween images in this fun collection of merry Halloween postcards.

For more holiday fun, check out these Halloween patent prints.

For creative ideas for using spooky images, check out this collection of upcycled Halloween decorations and Halloween embroideries.

If you fancy, you can Buy Me A Coffee Here.

Moira

Sunday 15th of September 2024

Brilliant selection!

claire

Tuesday 17th of September 2024

Thank you so much.

Julie

Sunday 1st of October 2023

These are fantastic, thank you!

claire

Monday 2nd of October 2023

Thank you so much; I had fun finding them.

Alyssa

Saturday 30th of September 2023

so cool! Thank you!

claire

Saturday 30th of September 2023

You're welcome, thank you.