Bring back some good or bad memories


ADVERTISEMENT

October 29, 2024

18 Amazing Vintage Photographs Captured Children at a Halloween Party in Zionsville, Indiana in 1941

A party isn’t complete without delicious food. Bobbing for apples and eating contests were frequent at early Halloween parties, as well as a table full of sweet goodies like donuts and pies. In 1941, LIFE photographer William C. Shrout joined a group of kids for their Halloween mischief and festivities in Zionsville, Indiana. His photographs show a night of activities not too different from our modern-day celebrations: pumpkin carving, games, bobbing for apples, and, of course, lots of treats!

Halloween parties increased in popularity during the roaring twenties, and even more in the late 1930s. A number of companies in the emerging party industry started creating party idea books, craft templates, and mass-produced costumes. Yet, as seen in these amazing vintage photographs below, homemade costumes were still the most common. Clown and skeleton costumes were especially popular, as you’ll see in the photos.

Children wearing costumes at a Halloween party in Zionsville, Indiana, 1941.

Children arriving at a decorated house for a Halloween party, 1941.

A boy bobbing for apples during a Halloween party, 1941.

Children at a Halloween party standing around a table of Halloween treats, 1941.

Children eating Halloween treats, 1941.

Children bobbing for apples at a Halloween party, 1941.

Girl with an apple in her mouth after successfully bobbing for an apple at a Halloween party, 1941.

Children scooping out the guts of pumpkins for a Halloween party, 1941.

A child wearing a pumpkin-head costume and looking through a window on Halloween night, 1941.

A group of girls carrying pumpkins to carve for Halloween, 1941.

A young girl reaching for an apple during Halloween festivities, 1941.

A group of children walking through a graveyard on Halloween night, 1941.

A child wearing a pumpkin head costume during a Halloween party, 1941.

A boy wearing a paper bag Halloween costume, 1941.

A group of children running away after being scared on Halloween night, 1941.

Children playing ‘pin the tail on the donkey’ during a Halloween party, 1941.

Boy sucking on a lollipop during a Halloween party, 1941.

A police officer catching two boys moving a table during their Halloween night mischief in Zionsville, Indiana, 1941.

(Photos by William C. Shrout/The LIFE Picture Collection © Meredith Corporation)

1 comment:

  1. SO nice ! . these take me back to my childhood long ago in rural New England .

    -Nate

    ReplyDelete




FOLLOW US:
FacebookTumblrPinterestInstagram

CONTACT US

Browse by Decades

Popular Posts

Advertisement

09 10