Vintage horse ephemera, equestrian drawings, horse photos and more— you’ll find over 2 dozen free vintage equestrian images below, and I’ll continue to add to the list as I find suitable candidates. One of the projects I'm working on for Halloween junk journaling features the headless horseman -- so I'm immersed in vintage horse graphics!
I hope you find these vintage horse graphics for junk journaling useful!
Why Horses?
Why not?
I am working on Halloween and Christmas, and this year at least one Halloween junk journal will feature the Headless Horseman/Sleepy Hollow. I discovered a ton of amazing horse graphics that could be given a spooky makeover -- and a great deal of others you may be able to use in anything from an actual equestrian themed journal to a farm junk journal or even a country themed piece.
The new kit will be out September 7, and features the setting and very recognizable characters from the classic Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving. If you are a subscriber, the new kit will be free, yay! If you're not yet, you can sign up here, or grab Sleepy Hollow on the release day for 30% off with code ICHABOD.
On to the horses!
Free Horse Graphics for your Journal or Papercrafts
On to the horses ! This roundup includes a variety of mediums and artwork ranging from new to hundreds of years old. I’m not orderly enough to sort these by date, but there is a huge range to work with. items designed by me are linked for a fast and easy download, free images hosted by others are linked to the source so you can get a high quality download. Most allow commercial use, but you’ll find specific licensing details on the host sites.
9+ Horse Graphics from 1875 Horse Encyclopedia
This collection of illustrations is from a book from 1875, they are pencil or ink on paper and feature a variety of horses -- there are a few of them in this bundle, just click below for an instant download.
Race Horse Postcards-- Derby Winners from 1919 and 1920
Some Derby Winner portraits from the 1920s, each is a .jpg and there are 4 included in the file below. Here's a peek at a few of them -- each card has the horse's name, the year he won and other details:
Download the full size postcards by clicking the link below, enjoy!
Galloping Horses
Head over to Wikimedia Commons to grab a higher resolution version of this creative commons image featuring a herd of running horses. Find it here.
1577 Engraving
From the wonderful Rijksmuseum, this engraving is over 400 years old -- and would make a lovely cover, journaling card or insert. Find it here, free.
Vintage Circus Ephemera with Ponies
This piece is also available for use without restriction via Wikimedia Commons, and the file size they have to offer is huge, find it here.
Cigarette Cards with British Horses
A selection of late 1800s cigarette cards featuring horses. Click the link below to download -- and check out this blog on making printed ephemera look authentically old to make sure your horse cigarette cards look like the real thing!
If you are a site member, I'll be adding the full collection of 36 cards shortly :)
1918 Flower Horse Print
This unusual horse features an etched floral print -- and would be lovely printed and colored in with pencils. I also like the way black and white pieces like this print on brown paper bags or on parchment.
Vintage Horse Drawn Carriage Ephemera
Grab a bit of vintage lovliness at the always awesome DB Tuck vintage postcard site -- these are scanned in high resolution and feature a collection of horse drawn carriages. Find the set here.
Vintage Circus Poster
I shared this one a while back on the blog, you can find it and some interesting circus info here.
Free Steampunk Horse Printable Matchbook Notebook
I thought this piece from last year fit well -- it is a printable matchbook you can make for your journal. It takes just minutes to make but is a super fun addition to a pocket or flip out. Find it here on the blog, its a freebie!
Horse Anatomy Pages
I found this on Flickr, and thought it would make a fun insert or card for a horse junk journal or art journal. Find the full size, high resolution image here.
Free Vintage Horse Ephemera
Another older bit of horse ephemera, the attached download has a few sizes so you can get exactly what you need -- just click the file below for a fast and free download.
I saved this one in quarter page, 1/8 page and postage stamp size on one page for easy printing:
Here is the full file:
Running Horse Photo Copyright Free
I used this photo in the forthcoming Sleepy Hollow kit, but I gave it quite a makeover -- here is the original, it is copyright free and can be downloaded here. https://unsplash.com/photos/lIeqGEdvex0?
Creativefabrica is primarily a paid, subscription site, but it also has some nice freebies, like this mandala horse coloring page. Find a free download here.
Vintage Fox Hunting Horse Illustrations
Download the full ABCs of Fox Hunting from Project Gutenburg for a huge selection of horse illustrations like the one below -- this is a free, public domain book:
Racehorse Cigarette Card
Find this freebie on Flickr, you can download the high resolution image here.
Simple Horse Coloring Page for Kids
Sometimes all you need is a simple line drawing or outline, and coloring pages are often a good starting point. Import this into your favorite graphics program or print onto watercolor or heavy paper and you can customize it with color, paint or whatever you like.
Victorian Carousel Horse
Find this and other pieces of vintage horse ephemera at the Graphics Fairy, there is a set of horses in their free library, found here.
