I Googled this photo today because it randomly popped into my head and I wondered if there had been a proper investigation into it – so it was a very impressive coincidence to see that this thread was started only five days ago, this discussion is pretty much exactly what I was hoping for!
After reading the thread I’ve registered to post this, because I have some more info on this photo that I recall reading in a book about the paranormal back in the 90s. It seems the details given in the book have not made it onto any websites featuring this photo, so it’s worth me sharing them here in light of the curiosity over the photo’s backstory and potential explanations. I recall reading about this photo in a book about the paranormal that I read back in my school days, in the school library. I can’t recall the name of the book, just that it was a coffee table-type book on the subject of the paranormal, and the last page of the book was about this photo. Bearing in mind this was around 25 years ago, my memory of the info in the book may not be entirely accurate, but I’ll recount it to the best of my recollection!
According to the book, the people in the photo were two families who met while staying in the Hotel Vierjahreszeiten on holiday. On the last night of the holiday, they partied together in the hotel restaurant, and the man on the far left – presumably ‘Mr Todd’ – set up his camera to take a photo of them all. As reported in other accounts, the first time the flash did not go off, so he went back and reset the camera to take another photo.
After returning home, Mr Todd got the film developed and looked at the photos. He noticed the blurred extra woman in the first (non-flash) photo, but assumed it was a double exposure and thought no more of it. A few months later, the second family came to visit the Todds to reunite for the first time since the holiday, Mr Todd showed them the photos, and one of the ladies was shocked when she saw the first photo, because she was convinced the extra woman in the shot was a ghost. She pointed out that the woman was clearly behind the glasses on the table, which would not be possible in a double exposure.
Confused, Mr Todd took the photos to be examined by photographic experts, who ruled out any possibility of double exposure. Unable to explain the mystery woman, the Todds went back to the Hotel Vierjahreszeiten on their next holiday the following year and showed the photo to the staff, but the staff confirmed there was no history of haunting at the hotel and no one recognized the mystery woman.
Mr Todd was reluctant to blame the photo on the paranormal, but in the absence of a rational explanation, felt there was no other choice. The dark-haired woman to the right of the ‘ghost’ was apparently Mr Todd’s wife (I think her name was Ella or Ellen, going from memory), and some people who saw the photo remarked that the ‘ghost’ looked like her. Mrs Todd had apparently been ill with cancer at some point around that same time, either before or after, and was given months to live, but made an impressive recovery against the odds and beat the illness, leading some to speculate that the ‘ghost’ was some sort of guardian angel protecting her.
That’s the story behind the photo as far as I recall! Of course, whether the story given in the book was entirely true or not is another question. Either way, great to see it being discussed here and some plausible explanations being put forward; hopefully some more info about it may come to light!
