Text and image selection with Gallery volunteer Laura.
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As the days shorten and the temperatures drop, our thoughts turn towards Halloween and all things supernatural.
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These days Halloween wouldn’t be Halloween without giant pumpkins, but once upon a time it was turnips and swedes which were carved and made into lanterns.
Geoffrey Scowcroft Fletcher (1923–2004)
Oil on canvas
H 55 x W 70 cm
City of London Corporation
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Apples have long been associated with Halloween. Place a strip of apple peel beneath your pillow and it is said that you will dream of your one true love.
Arthur Segal (1875–1944)
Oil on panel
H 39 x W 50 cm
City of London Corporation
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Murder, ghosts and headless corpses: the story of Isabella and Lorenzo is bound to send shivers down your spine.
Joseph Severn (1793–1879)
Oil on canvas
H 50 x W 71 cm
City of London Corporation
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No Halloween celebration would be complete without a ghostly white lady. Lady Jane Grey is said to haunt both the Tower of London and her childhood home in Leicestershire.
Paul Delaroche (1797–1856)
Oil on canvas
H 46 x W 53 cm
City of London Corporation
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Of all the ghosts around tonight, none can compete with Elvira. Witty, urbane and beautiful, Noël Coward’s creation continues to haunt audiences up and down the land.
Costume for Elvira worn by Leslie Mann in Blithe Spirit, 2020. Noël Coward: Art & Style at Guildhall Art Gallery runs until 23 December 2021.
