Halloween Jack-o'-Lanterns, White Robes, and a Black Cat

The word "Hallowe'en" in gold letters is barely visible against the dark blue nighttime sky at the top of this postcard. On the ground down below, five young women carrying jack-o'-lanterns and wearing white robes are accompanied by a black cat as they make their way through a scary forest where even the trees and rocks seem to have menacing faces.

I'm not sure what to make of this scene. Could these be novice witches on their way to a Halloween initiation where they'll receive their broomsticks and black garments? Or perhaps they're just Halloween partygoers who've gotten lost in an appropriately sinister setting.

Unfortunately, the other side of the postcard doesn't provide any clues to explain the illustration. A handwritten message says, "Was at Phila. [Philadelphia] for first time, Oct. 17, 1914, Ida," but otherwise there isn't any address, stamp, or postmark.