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25 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 include spooky art from the past that features 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.

25 vintage Halloween art prints in the Public Domain Pin

How To Download The Vintage Halloween Illustrations

For a high quality free download of these free 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 and are also perfect for macabre creative pursuits and spooky decoration.

Skeleton & Skull Halloween Art

Print 1: Witches & Skeleton Around a Cauldron

This is actually a satirical cartoon on the Peace of Amiens, 1802, C. Starcke, after James Gillray. But it has a very Halloween vibe about it 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 8: 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 10: Flower Skull Images

Flower-wreathed skull, Pieter Schenk 1670-1713.

Check out these other human skull drawings.

Print 11: 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 16: Skeleton Bust

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

Vintage skeleton bust

Print 21: Human and Gorilla Skeleton

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

Human and gorilla skeleton

Print 22: Skeleton on a Gravestone

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

Skeleton on a Gravestone

Spooky Creatures

Print 2: 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 12: 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 17: 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 18: 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 23: Pied Crow

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

Pied Crow vintage Halloween art

Print 15: Bat And Tower

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

vintage bat and tower

Ghosts and Spooky Scenes

Print 9: 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 24: 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 25: Spooky Gates

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

Spooky Gates vintage Halloween illustrations

Print 13: 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 14: Haunted House Float

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

Vintage Halloween image haunted house float

Print 18: Transformation

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

Ghostly transformation Halloween art

Print 20: Ghost

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

Ghost vintage Halloween image Heinz Von Essen

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 3: 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 4: 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 6: The Bewitched Man

The Bewitched Man Francisco De Goya

Print 7: The Old Woman (Time)

Another De Goya painting that fits with 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 Goya’s later works’ dark and introspective nature. It is currently housed in the Museo del Prado in Madrid.

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

Print 7: Los Chinchillas

An etching from his series “Los Caprichos”; a set of 80 prints created by Goya in 1797 and 1798, showcasing 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

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.

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.