Halloween & fancy dress

Ref: 31-57673, six people from the Sixes and Sevens Opera Company in Halloween style dress, 1909, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Halloween is a time of ghosts, witches and ghouls; of dressing up and trick or treating and pranks. It is one of the most popular costume or fancy dress events of the year in western society. Whilst the contemporary celebration of Halloween is often seen to have its roots in American culture, the origins of this festival actually go back to Celtic times. The Celts believed that 31 October represented a liminal time when the line between the living and the dead became distorted. Condemned souls were thought to come back on this night and cause havoc. To protect themselves, the Celts would dress up in scary costumes to frighten the evil spirits away.

Ref: AWNS-19100512-10-2, ghost scaring a young boy, 1910, Sir George Grey Special Collections
  

Fancy dress has a long tradition for a variety of different occasions, not just Halloween - such as birthdays, stag parties, New Year parties. Enjoy this stroll through the fancy dress outfits from yesteryear, drawn from the heritage collections at Auckland Libraries.

Individuals in fancy dress:

Ref: Footprints 02622, Woman in fancy dress, Clevedon, c. 1910, photograph reproduced by courtesy of Clevedon and District Historical Society (from Mrs Barbara Bryan), South Auckland Research Centre

Ref: 31-63721, Mrs McCallum in fancy dress, 1911, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Ref: 31-59888, Mr Webster in costume, 1910, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Groups:

Ref: 4 -RIC117, employees of W H Fenton and Company in fancy dress, 1889, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Ref: Footprints 01114, fancy dress celebration, 1920s, photograph reproduced by courtesy of Mangere Historical Society, South Auckland Research Centre

 

Ref: N0108016, Northcote Rugby Club's fancy dress match, c. 1900, North Auckland Research Centre

Ref: 1043-9713, fancy dress tableau, c. 1910s, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Ref: 1054-UN124, 1910-1919, group in fancy dress, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Imaginative and novel outfits:

Ref: 807-9368, Florrie Hallworth dressed as an aeroplane, 1932, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Ref: AWNS-19090722-12-1, a novel fancy dress costume, 1909, Sir George Grey Special Collections
  

Ref: 2-V1540, young girl in fancy dress, 1900-1909, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Ref: AWNS-19280126-48-2, fancy dress skiing, 1928, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Ref: AWNS-19261021-52-1, peacock fancy dress, 1926, Sir George Grey Special Collections

Ref: AWNS-19380824-48-2, fancy dress costumes on a cruise liner, 1938, Sir George Grey Special Collections