19th Century Public Domain Poem: A Halloween Frolic (Poetry for Kids)

See link for printable poem at the bottom of this post.

Here is a sweet little Halloween poem (titled "A Hallowenn Frolic") written by Helen Gray Cone and originally published in a late 19th century issue of St. Nicholas Magazine.

The poem in full reads:
A little witch in steeple hat
Once tried a merry spell,
To make the hares come pit-a-pat
From dingle and from dell.

And pit-a-pat, beneath the moon,
The shy hares peeping came;
The little witch in buckled shoon,
She called them each by name.

"Come, 'Fairy-foot' and 'Sparkle-eyes'!
Come, 'Fine-ear,' 'Bob,' and 'Bun'!"
They gathered round in mild surprise,
But glad of any fun.

And when she told them what she willed,
They stamped and leaped in glee,
And all their velvet noses thrilled
With laughter strange to see.

What was the prank, do you suppose,
And what the merry spell? ―
The sleepy owlet only knows,
And she would never tell!

You can download the full version of the poem as it was originally printed here. Lovely to hand out with Halloween candy but can also be used in cardmaking, crafts or scrapbooking projects.

Creative Commons License
Public domain poem is from my personal collection. All digitized work by Victorian Trends.com is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Free for personal use only. Please link back to VictorianTrends.com as your source when sharing or publishing.

Free Printable Fashion History Illustration: Tears at Twilight, 1857

Tears shed for another person are not a sign of weakness.
They are a sign of a pure heart.
José N. Harris, MI VIDA: A Story of Faith, Hope and Love

Hand-tinted colour illustration in an issue of Peterson's Magazine from 1857, showng two ladies in a garden at twilight. One of the ladies, wearing a richly beaded blue ball gown, is crying while the other lady, in a white gown adorned with roses, is trying to console her.

You can download a free ready-to-print 6" x 8" @ 300 ppi JPEG without any watermark for cardmaking, collage, craft or framed art projects by clicking here.

Creative Commons License
All digitized work by Victorian Trends.com is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Free for personal use only. Please link back to VictorianTrends.com as your source when sharing or publishing.

Free Vintage Illustrated Holiday Template: Halloween Invitation Card with Edwardian Lady in Blue

There is something at work in my soul, which I do not understand.
Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

A pre-made Halloween invitation card template that shows an Edwardian lady hurrying away from a spooky castle in the background. You can download the high-resolution 7" x 5" @ 300 ppi JPEGs without any words here or with the words "All Hallows Invitation" here.

Below is the original image scanned from my personal collection of La Mode Illustrée.
You can download the high-resolution 6" x 9" @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark for any other craft or graphic design projects here.

Creative Commons License
All digitized work by Victorian Trends.com is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Free for personal use only. Please link back to VictorianTrends.com as your source when sharing or publishing.

Free Printable Fashion History Illustration: Young Victorian Ladies at a Masquerade Ball 1 (1886)

Pretending can be a bold form of experimentation and inventiveness.
In pretending joy or happiness, we may discover or enhance our capacity for it.
Harriet Lerner

A black and white illustration from 1886, originally published in La Mode Illustrée showing a trio of young ladies (teens) at a masquerade party.

You can download a free high-res 12" x 12" @ 300 ppi JPEG without any watermark for cardmaking, mixed media collage art or craft projects by clicking here.

Creative Commons License
All digitized work by Victorian Trends.com is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Free for personal use only. Please link back to VictorianTrends.com as your source when sharing or publishing.

Free Printable Fashion History Illustration: Victorian Hairdressing Styles by W.J. Barker, 1875

A page from Frank Leslie's Lady's Magazine from 1875 showing the newest hairdressing styles (mostly consisting of elaborate braids) by W.J. Barker located at 36, Twenty-Ninth Street (four doors west of Broadway) in New York City.

To download a free, high-res 8.5" x 11" @ 300 ppi JPEG without a watermark, please click here.

Creative Commons License
All digitized work by Victorian Trends.com is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Free for personal use only. Please link back to VictorianTrends.com as your source when sharing or publishing.