A collection of anonymous Halloween photographs from America, 1875 - 1955. The roots of Halloween trace back to the ancient pre-Christian Celtic festival of Samhain, a celebration that marked the death of the old year and the birth of the new one. It was believed that on this night the veil separating the worlds of the living and the dead became thin and torn, allowing spirits to cross and wander invisibly, but not silently, among people. The arrival of Christianity saw the pagan festival absorbed into All Souls' Day, when throughout Europe the dead were mourned and honored. Children and the poor, often wearing masks or outrageous costumes, roamed the night asking for 'soul cakes' in exchange for prayers, and bonfires were lit to ward off malevolent ghosts. The photographs in Haunted Air offer an outstanding glimpse into the traditions of this macabre festival from past eras and serve as an important document of photographic history. These are the images of the dead: family portraits, monuments of precious, now recognized, others. Torn from album pages, sold piece by piece for pennies and scattered, abandoned to melancholy fates and the hands of strangers.

Pages: 216, Dimensions: 20.1x20.1cm