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DAY 188 | PHOTOGRAPHIC CURIOSITIES |
“Witch” Photography
WHAT SORCERESSES WORE
A mainstay of Halloween decorations and costumes is the archetypical “witch,” complete with broomstick, black cloak, and pointed hat.
But where did this cultural paradigm originate?
High, pointed black hats were fashionable during the medieval period when witch hunts were carried out on a massive scale in Europe; woodcuts depicting these trials often show the accused wearing the typical clothing of the period.1 The hats may have been more closely associated with witches later, when they were worn only by country folk, who were more likely to be associated with ...
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