Vintage Halloween Greeting Card with Jack-o'-Lantern and Black Cat | Early 1900s

A smirking golden moon-face actively tearing through the card itself with both human hands gripping the edges — as if it's breaking into your home to greet you heartily, which is exactly how most home invasions begin — sets the tone for some unhinged Victorian artist's idea of heartwarming Halloween sentiment. Below this cosmic boundary-violator, a black cat sits sandwiched between two green pumpkins whose carved faces shoot dramatic radiating light beams, flanked by candles in red holders on either side, because apparently the best way to create a 'cozy holiday card' is to assemble a séance buffet. The moon's expression — equal parts 'I know what you did' and 'I've been watching you sleep' — transforms 'To Greet You Heartily This Hallowe'en' from a warm salutation into what sounds suspiciously like a threat.