Lithograph representing a witch on trial in Salem, C. 1892
Joseph E. Baker
During the Salem witch trials 185 individuals were accused of witchcraft. While only 19 people were executed, the trials changed the course of New England history.
Arresting a Witch, C. 1883
Howard Pyle
This image is a generic depiction of an accused "witch" being arrested. What is most notable about this image is the way the suspected witch is depicted. While men were accused, the vast majority were women. They were often depicted as old and haggard. This image was used to depict a T. W. Higginson article, "The Second generation of Englishmen in America".
The Soul Killing Witch that Deform the Body, C. 1828
The image shows two witches stirring a cauldron. It was published in a 1828 edition of Robert Calef’s More Wonders of the Invisible World. In the background a witch rides on a broomstick holding a snake in her hand. We can also see spectral images flying out of the boiling cauldron, and a cat leaps into the scene from the right. References to cat familiars, flying witches, and spectral images are common features of the court records of the Salem witch trials.