00:00In 1885, a young woman named Caroline Ashworth died under mysterious circumstances at just 19 years old.
00:09Her father, a rich, controlling, and obsessive man, wanted to keep his daughter with him forever.
00:15So he commissioned one final portrait.
00:18But what looked like a simple Victorian photograph was, in truth, something far more sinister.
00:24Caroline's father, Horatio, was a self-made millionaire who owned a successful brewery.
00:31He doted on his only child from the moment she was born.
00:35But as Caroline grew up, so did her father's obsession.
00:38When Caroline was just 16, Horatio hired a private tutor for her, a man named Francis Tumbleton, who would later become the family's live-in servant.
00:49The two quickly became close, and they enjoyed going on long walks together.
00:53This enraged Caroline's father, who had plans for his daughter's future that did not include a lowly servant.
01:01When Caroline turned 19, her father hired a new governess for her and forbade Francis from speaking to her.
01:09But Caroline and Francis' friendship did not end there.
01:12They began seeing each other in secret, and eventually fell in love.
01:17Caroline even became pregnant by Francis, but her father had no idea.
01:21Then, in December of 1885, Caroline came down with a high fever and became very ill.
01:29Her father called a doctor, but by the time he arrived, it was too late.
01:33Caroline was dead.
01:36Grief-stricken, Horatio immediately began planning for his daughter's funeral.
01:40He dressed her in one of her finest gowns and arranged for her to be buried in the family plot.
01:46But before the burial, he commissioned a final portrait, which he planned to hang in his home.
01:52He sat with the coffin in the parlor and watched as the photographer set up his equipment.
01:58Then he had an idea.
02:00He asked if it was too late to add one more person to the picture.
02:04The photographer agreed and went to get his props.
02:06When he returned, he saw a man standing over the coffin.
02:11The man was tall and thin, with a hooked nose and piercing eyes.
02:16He was dressed in all black and stood with his back to the camera.
02:20The photographer set up the shot and then told Horatio to take his place.
02:24Horatio sat down heavily in a chair next to the coffin.
02:28He knew this would be the last time he would ever see his daughter.
02:31And he had a strange feeling that the man in black was somehow connected to her death.
02:35As the photo was being taken, he stole a glance at the man.
02:40That's when he noticed something strange.
02:43The man was not looking at the camera.
02:45He was staring directly at him.
02:47When the photo was finally developed, Horatio was horrified.
02:51The man in black was grinning at him, and in his hand, he was holding a small vial.
02:56Upon closer inspection, Horatio realized that the vial was filled with a cloudy liquid
03:01and what looked like a small white flower.
03:04He immediately fainted.
03:06The man in black was never identified, but many believed that he was Francis, the man
03:11Caroline loved.
03:13Some say he was the father of her child, while others believe he was simply a spirit that
03:17had come to collect her soul.
03:20What is certain is that Horatio never hung the portrait in his home.
03:24He kept it hidden until his death, when it was discovered in his attic by his relatives.
03:29Today, the photo is one of the most famous ghost photos ever taken, and some say it's
03:35a warning to those who dare to defy the spirits.
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