The Uninvited Guest in a Photograph
A local photographer and a prominent couple are left baffled after an extra, unrecognizable figure appears in their portrait.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
An incident worthy of note occurred at Meriwether's photograph gallery this week. Major Rogers and his wife sat for a photograph Monday, and when the negative was examined, Mr. Meriwether discovered that instead of only the two who had sat, three persons appeared in the picture. Neither Mr. Meriwether, nor Mr. or Mrs. Rogers recognize the person represented, nor can they account for the appearance of the third person as no one else was in the room when the picture was made. A print of this picture is on exhibition, and it is well worth a visit to the gallery to see it.
“Neither Mr. Meriwether, nor Mr. or Mrs. Rogers recognize the person represented, nor can they account for the appearance of the third person.”
In an era before digital manipulation, the appearance of a 'ghost' or uninvited guest in a photograph often sparked intense local speculation. While double exposures or chemical accidents might explain the phenomenon today, it remains a charming artifact of late 19th-century superstition and technical curiosity.
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