Free Spirit Photo Printables: Vintage Victorian Ghost Ephemera for Journals & Halloween
A Look Inside This Post:
Step into the strange world of Victorian spirit photography with these free Spirit Photos printables. Believed by many at the time to capture actual ghosts, these eerie portraits are perfect for junk journaling, Halloween collages, and anyone who loves vintage oddities. This set includes three collage sheets featuring ghostly apparitions, double exposures, and mysterious spectral figures, all ready to print and use in your creative projects.
The Strange History of Spirit Photography
In the late 19th century, photography was still a relatively new invention, and many people believed it could capture more than just the physical world. Spirit photographers claimed their images revealed the presence of ghosts, often through double exposures, blurred figures, or faint white silhouettes hovering near their subjects.
While most of these photographs were later revealed as clever manipulations, they captured the Victorian obsession with séances, the afterlife, and the supernatural. Even today, their hazy, ghost-filled imagery has a powerful, otherworldly charm that feels right at home in a junk journal or Halloween art spread.
What’s Included in the Free Printable Sheets
This set of free printables includes two collage sheets of vintage spirit photographs:
Classic seated portraits with ghostly overlays – Eerie figures appear beside ordinary sitters.
Spectral apparitions and floating shapes – Faint, white silhouettes that blur the line between trickery and belief.
Victorian séance-inspired imagery – Perfect for spreads about mystery, curiosity, and the unknown.
The first sheet is made up of photos that were used in a stereoscope. A device with which users would look at separate left-eye and right-eye views of the same image, creating the visual effect of a single three-dimensional image. Many of those include captions describing the scene depicted.
Creative Ways to Use Spirit Photos Ephemera
These ghostly portraits can add an unsettling (but fun!) element to your creative work:
Halloween junk journals – Ideal for spooky pages, tags, and altered book spreads.
Haunted collages – Mix with skulls, bats, and dark backgrounds for chilling results.
Mixed media art – Layer spirit photos with paint, lace, or wax for gothic-style textures.
Scrapbooking – Perfect for documenting Halloween memories with a vintage twist.
Décor and party favors – Print and use as place cards, labels, or wall art for a haunted house effect.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do these images come from?
They’re real examples of Victorian-era spirit photography, taken from the public domain.
Are these actual ghost photos?
While Victorians often believed they were genuine, most were created using double exposures or photographic tricks.
What sizes are included?
The set comes as two printable collage sheets, with a mix of portrait sizes suited for journals, scrapbooks, and mixed media projects.
Can I use these for Halloween crafts?
Absolutely! Their eerie, spectral look makes them perfect for October projects.
Can I sell what I make with these?
Yes — you can use them in your handmade items for sale. Please just don’t resell or redistribute the digital files themselves, or printouts of the sheets “as-is.”
More Free Printables You Might Like
Animal Skeletons – Perfectly creepy natural history engravings.
Magic Props – Catalog engravings of stage tricks and illusions.
Vintage Halloween Printables – Classic October ephemera for festive spreads.
Final Thoughts
These free Spirit Photo printables capture the strange mix of superstition, photography, and performance that defined the Victorian fascination with ghosts. Whether you see them as eerie evidence or clever trickery, they make for unforgettable additions to journals, scrapbooks, and Halloween art.
Download the set today and bring a spectral touch to your next project!
More Background on Victorian Spirit Photos
19th-century spirit photos were a type of photographic hoax or manipulation that gained popularity during the Victorian era, particularly in the latter half of the 1800s. These photos purported to depict supernatural or paranormal phenomena, specifically images of ghosts or spirits.
The most common method used to create these spirit photos was double exposure. This technique involved taking two separate photographs on the same negative or glass plate, allowing for the superimposition of two images onto a single print. One exposure would capture the intended scene or subject, while the other would capture a ghostly figure or transparent form. When the two exposures were combined during the development process, it created the illusion of a spirit or ghost appearing alongside living individuals. In the early days of photography, it was a technical concept few knew about outside of photographers, so it fooled a lot of people. Think of it as a very early “special effect.”
Photographers and mediums often presented these spirit photos as genuine evidence of communication with the spirit world, capitalizing on the widespread interest in spiritualism and the afterlife during that time. Spiritualism was a popular belief system that centered around the idea of communicating with the spirits of the deceased through mediums, séances, and other paranormal practices.
As photographic technology advanced and skepticism grew, many of these spirit photos were eventually exposed as hoaxes or products of deception. The development of more sophisticated photographic techniques and an understanding of how double exposure worked led to a decline in the belief in the authenticity of such images.
You may also enjoy these free collage sheets.
Terms of use:
Free to use for personal or commercial projects. You may print the collage sheets as many times as you wish for your personal crafts or in your projects to sell, including: art journals, scrapbooks, junk journals, collage art, etc. You may not redistribute or sell the collage sheets “as is" in either print or digital form.
If you wish to share the files on your own website, please do not make the files available for download directly from your site. Instead, include an image with a link back to this site.
To the best of my knowledge, these are all royalty free images that are in the Public Domain in the US. However, you should always do your own research if you plan to use them commercially.
