Ghost Photographs

$5 - $10 (based on 2018 prices)

Makes fifty photographs

For the ghost theme, which was part of my office’s annual decorating competition, I incorporated dozens of old photographs with cryptic numbers into the décor. Like the alchemy banner, these props were meant to decorate the hallways, so I needed fifty to cover the long expanses. Your final product, though, does not need to be this excessive. You can par it down to a few images. Hence, adjust the quantities in this instruction to match your desired goals.

• Twenty-five sheets of cream-colored copy paper
• Twenty-five sheets of brown cardstock
• One 4 oz. bottle of all-purpose tacky glue
• At least four tablespoons of dark roasted coffee grounds
• One pan large enough to soak the photographs
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in cherry cobbler*
  

1. Gather a collection of fifty vintage daguerreotype photographs from the internet, print them on the cream-colored paper, and cut them out. For visual interest, I selected an assortment of men, women, and children; however, you can cater this variety to fit your haunt’s needs. Also, I printed two images per page, which saved paper and provided the photographic scale I desired.

2. Cut backings for the photographs from the brown cardstock and adhere the two elements together. For aesthetic purposes, I fashioned a quarter-inch border and rounded the corners.

3. Boil roughly twelve cups of water and add the coffee. The longer you allow the coffee to brew, the darker the stain will become. Likewise, greater amounts of coffee will produce a richer stain. Since I wanted uneven spots rather than a unified discoloration, I placed about six photographs at a time on a baking sheet, splashed coffee and grounds onto their surfaces, allowed the liquid to sit for a few minutes, and then moved the photographs to a large space to dry. Although this process took a while, it provided an interesting aging effect that greatly enhanced the prop.

4. Once the photographs have fully dried, use red paint to draw numbers onto them. You can add the markings randomly or put them in strategic places. While I elected to use numbers, you could modify the prop by writing spells across the surfaces or using patterns of your own design.

5. For additional creepiness, use a thumbtack to punch out the eyes or glue personal artifacts (locks of artificial hair or aged acrylic nails) to each item.

*You will not use the entire bottle’s content for this project.