This portrait of “The Brown Lady” ghost is arguably the most famous and well-regarded ghost picture ever taken. The ghost is thought to be that of Lady Dorothy Townshend, wife of Charles Townshend, second Viscount of Raynham, whatever that means, residents of Raynham Hall in Norfolk, England, in the early 1700s. It was rumored that Dorothy, before her marriage to Charles, had been the mistress of Lord Wharton. Charles suspected Dorothy of infidelity. Although according to legal records, she died and was buried in 1726, it was suspected that the funeral was a sham and that Charles had locked his wife away in a remote corner of the house until her death many years later. Yeah apparently he was a royal asshole. Still I am shocked no one has made this a film or soap opera…
Dorothy’s ghost is said to haunt the oak staircase and other areas of Raynham Hall. In the early 1800s, King George IV, while staying at Raynham, saw the figure of a woman in a brown dress standing beside his bed. It seems she wanted an upgrade from her position in life, typical… She was seen again standing in the hall in 1835 by Colonel Loftus, who was visiting for the Christmas holidays. He saw her again a week later and described her as wearing a brown dress, or gown, her skin glowing with a pale luminescence. A few years later, Captain Frederick Marryat and two friends saw “the Brown Lady” gliding along an upstairs hallway, carrying a lantern. As she passed, Marryat said, she grinned at the men in a “diabolical manner.” Marryat fired a pistol at the apparition, but the bullet passed through. He never admitted if he left stains on his clothing after the event.
This famous photo was taken in September 1936 by Captain Provand and Indre Shira, two photographers who were assigned to photograph Raynham Hall for Country Life magazine. This is what happened, according to Shira:
“Captain Provand took one photograph while I flashed the light. He was focusing for another exposure; I was standing by his side just behind the camera with the flashlight pistol in my hand, looking directly up the staircase. All at once I detected an ethereal veiled form coming slowly down the stairs. Rather excitedly, I called out sharply: ‘Quick, quick, there’s something.’ I pressed the trigger of the flashlight pistol. After the flash and on closing the shutter, Captain Provand removed the focusing cloth from his head and turning to me said: ‘What’s all the excitement about?'”
What Do you think? Double exposure was capable at the time with the equipment that existed. If you had the money for some of the best gear long stable exposure was also possible. This is a famous image one that my father told me about as a child. I am not sure that it is a fake, its still intrigues me more because of its mystery than its legend. What is your opinion?
