Location:  Musee Carnavalet - Paris, France

Dear Ann Overhiser,
Hello,

Your web site looks like it might be for real, meaning that you are interested in serious research. . . I shot these two photos about 30 seconds apart: as you can see in .02 there is something behind the shoulder of the figure.  I am fascinated by this -- since I have not a clue about Photoshop, they have not been altered. I do not even know if something like this could be fabricated.

Photos: taken by me with a digital camera
Date: September, 2007
both photos were taken with a flash inside a gallery at the Musee Carnavalet, Paris.  The Surrealists loved the Musee Carnavalet and indeed it is one of the oddest museums I have ever visited.

Yours sincerely,

Tina
New York

Our response:

Tina, thank you kindly for your photos.  I have been to this museum when I was in Paris. Behind the statue you where photographing, I can't remember which artist did the combined statues and artwork.  Do you remember?

First of all my reaction is impressed to your photo submission - even though it is a mirror picture.  Also, the fact you have 2 pictures back to back is great. Thank you for giving a little background too.  I've had so many fakes sent to me that it's made me question keeping the photo section of the website.

Thank you for sending the .bmp image as well.

The face is typical 1950 french style and handle bar mustache.  His un kept appearance is classic of any era, lol. This is not matrixing and has the slightly blurred look that apparitions present with.

Now, why did you take the picture?  Why 2 photos?  And do I have permission to post your pictures on the website?  If so, to whom do I give credit?

Ann Overhiser, API Website Administrator / Case Manager


Dear Ann Overhiser,

Thanks for your quick reply -- I guess I did not expect to hear back from anyone really. Because of what you said -- all of the fake photos get so tiresome.  You know, I do not remember who did the sculpture, which looks 19th-century. .  .but I am going to Paris again in Sept and I will find out.  Once I saw the image, after my return, I became much more interested in the context.

I think, contrary to what I said earlier, that the first photo was without a flash (the darker one with no image). Actually, I was taking a picture of myself in the mirror next to this sculpture: I am actually looking at the apparition (but obviously I did not see it) or shall I say, it is looking at me.  I cropped myself out because I did not want my picture to appear on a website.  I took the two photos because I was not sure if the first one would come out without a flash -- I was just experimenting. I am interested in self-portraits in mirrors. As far as the bust goes, I was interested in comparing myself to it visually since it is life size.

With many thanks for your quick reply,

Tina

	The non-flash photo with the photographer cropped out per her request.
	The flash photo with the photographer cropped out per her request.
	The apparition enlarged and not edited in the first image.  The second image is contrast enhanced.  The third is enhanced and placed in a gray scale.

Update:

Could this man be Jacques-Louis David ? He painted himself younger late in life. Most of his works are in the Louvre, or in private collections. He was born in Paris, France Aug. 30, 1748 and passed away in Brussels, Belgium at 77 on Dec. 29, 1825.

Why this man? He lived as an artist from age nine when his father passed. He missed the guillotine due to the stomach flu, but still was imprisoned for the wrong political friendship and viewpoints. (I'm thinking the French Revolution wouldn't have been a popular government favorite.)

The artifacts of Napoleon reside here in the Musee Carnavelet, including his mortuary mask. David and Napoleon were very close friends.