Hilma’s Ghost

Apothecary Box, Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield, CT, 2023

Throughout history, witches have been vilified and condemned for their supernatural powers. Scholarship has since shown that, most of the time, this power was not used malignantly, but in fact to heal. But so feared was the figure of the witch that witch bottles were created as a protective charm against witchcraft and spells. The earliest mention of a witch bottle is from 17th century England. These bottles could be filled with anything from urine, hair or nail clippings, red thread, rosemary, needles, pins, and red wine. They would then, most commonly, be buried. In contemporary times, these witch bottles have morphed into spell jars, which is essentially a physical representation of a spell. These jars can help users claim their power and amplify the energy behind their intentions.