Sexy Goth-Girl Witches Return!

To celebrate the start (a few days early) of my fifth year blogging I thought I would share a recent and most unexpected discovery: another real-photo postcard of the “Sexy Goth-Girl Witches,” who I did a post on here.

I say “unexpected,” because this photo came from a different vendor to the first even though real-photo postcards are usually unique; they are simply family-photo negatives that have been printed on postcard stock instead of normal card or paper stock. (They were produced in the same way that you or I might get a photo printed for our album, and maybe one extra for a friend or family member—which, being printed with postcard backing, can be posted to them as a “postcard.”)

So, the fact that two cards from the same family album turned up on eBay from different vendors within a few months of each other (and that I located them both!) is a minor miracle.

Before I go on, you should have another look at the first card. As you can see above, there are two young women dressed as witches. The one on the left, seated on the floor, seems to be reading the palm of the one on the right (who is wearing glasses), seated on a chair.

In the new card, there are four young women, two dressed as witches as before, and two dressed as gypsies. The “couple” on the left (above) include our palm-reader and a heavily-bejeweled, but slightly masculine looking, gypsy.

Her jewelry is worth a closer look. A dozen necklaces, bracelets and chains, multiple rings and broaches: nothing was left behind!

The “couple” on the right (above) include our bespectacled witch and a more feminine-looking gypsy, wearing a similar but slightly more convincing set of jewelry.

As well as necklaces and chains draped over her astonishing bust you will notice—if you can drag your eyes away from for chest a moment—the coin and scarf headgear. There seems to be a few more coins at the bottom of the picture in the shadow cast by … um … what was I saying?

Um … if we turn our attention back to our two original witches you can see that they are both wearing capes in this photo (which they are not wearing in the previous) tied up with a bow under their chins. They also both seem to have different hats.

At least, the pointy-bits of each hat are bent over and the bespectacled witch seems to have a Halloween decoration attached to the top of hers. It is difficult to make out but I think this is a diecut black cat (with tongue poking out) in a style known as “dazed and confused”—perhaps the cat has been looking down at the gypsy on her left!

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Apples has asked about the date of this card. I didn’t date this post, but the previous one I dated ca, 1900. The postcard is undivided, which dates it to pre. 1906 or 1907, but the fact that it is a “real photo” postcard dates it to post 1895, when these type of backings took off. 1900 is roughly the mid-point, which is consistent with the costumes, at least in terms of decorum (how much flesh is covered). Thus, ca. 1900.