"The Witch Is..."

The artifact is a decorative Halloween sign made by Cat Bellew. The sign has two parts: 1) a larger, upper yellow sign that reads "The Witch Is..." with a black witch's hat that reads "In" and 2) a smaller, lower black sign that reads "Free Broom Rides." The lower sign is connected to the upper by a thin, curled metal wire, and the same metal wire is used to hang the entire sign on a nail.

The submitter offered the following story about the artifact's creation:"At Halloween, the sign hangs on the front porch. My mother loves to paint, and she particularly loves to make decorations. She has made dozens of these kinds of signs over the years."

Cat Bellew

Jennifer Enoch

Unpublished

Creator and Owner: Cat Bellew

English

2000-2024

craft sign

wood, paint, metal

posted

Upper Sign: The Witch Is....In
Lower Sign: Free Broom Rides

Upper Sign: the sign is a deep yellow, almost gold color with darker, brownish streaks throughout. The edges are uneven, almost looking burnt, and have the same darker brown color. The words on the sign--"The Witch Is... --are all black but are all stenciled in different fonts. After the word "Witch" is a black witch's hat with a with a purple band and white buckle; the word "In" is written on the hat in white, upper-case lettering. It is difficult to see in the photo, but the black hat has been cut out of the sign, so it hangs in an empty space. Below the word "Witch" is a drawing of a black cauldron filled with purple, bubbling liquid, and next to the word "In..." is a drawing a black cat wearing a purple ribbon who has a white nose, whiskers, and eyes.

Lower Sign: the lower sign is black with the same uneven edges, which have some gold tarnishing. The words on the sign--"Free Broom Rides"--are purple and stenciled in the same font. Below the word "Free", which is tilted slightly, is a gold drawing of a broom. Above the word "Rides" is a gold arrow pointing to the right. The lower sign is attached to the upper by curled back wires on the left and right edges of the sign.

Unknown

During the month of October, the sign hangs on the creator's front porch. During the rest of the year, it hangs on a wall in her basement, as can be seen in the photo.