Best pareidolia ever?

I couldn't find any thread about this one: if it's a repost, please delete
This photo was sent from Jessica Lundgren, Sweden

Unexplained face

I got this photo from my grandma, and it must be from the early 1900s. Just take a look at it! There's a mum and a dad with their child on his knee. The child died short after the photo was taken. You can see a face in profile and an angel's face in the hair of Jesus. It's really a fantastic photo, isn't it? Have you seen a similar photo?

paranormal.about.com...

It's actually a victorian couple, and a small child is sitting on the man's knee, while the face's hairs are the vegetation in the background.
These are the two shapes outlined by me


Well, i confess that i could just see the face, while i couldn't see the child
Only after looking at the child outlined, i've been able to see him, in this enhancement by Kentaro Mori:


This is one of the most interesting cases of pareidolia i've ever seen: the face didn't need to be outlined in order to be seen (at least, by me), while the child did: but i'd like to know someone else's opinion about it.

Sources and more informations:
paranormal.about.com...
www.binnallofamerica.com...
forgetomori.com...



[edit on 22/11/2008 by internos]

Cool pic.
I guess given the colouring/or lack thereof, of the old photo and the quality of the pic these type of optical illusions appear.
Its quiet a good image all the same though.

That's incredible. I too, was unable to see the child without the re-coloring. Now however, I am able to see both in the original. It's amazing how our brain recognizes patterns.

I assume it could be of symbolic value to some as well.


EDIT: Incidentally, I just showed my girlfriend the picture and she saw the child first, and I had a hard time showing her the face. I guess it's one of those left/right brain conflicts.



[edit on 22-11-2008 by Oscitate]

I'm also intrigued by this picture. There's a great piece about this photo by Richelle Hawks which points out some other images in the photo, well worth a read.

www.binnallofamerica.com...

Thanks for sharing this, I actually didn't see the child at all until you outlined it. It took me a second or two to see the mother and father too, since the Jesus face is so prominent.

What a strange photo... I can certainly understand if people think that there is something paranormal involved here, considering the fact that the little child died not long after the photo was taken. Perhaps the photo was a comfort to the parents.

Pareidolia is truly interesting.

I just created a thread asking what people think about EVP and ITC, both of these can be explained as pareidolia. There are always random patterns that can be heard as voices or seen as faces. Though I don't think that pareidolia is really enough of an explanation for EVP/ITC...

I have also been wondering if conspiracy theories in general could be a result of similar brain processes. Seeing a pattern in chaos. The whole system is a total chaos, people just want to perceive some planning in the random process. And then there has to be some conspiracy planning the events... Though I don't think this is an explanation for conspiracy theories either!

And something like Hoagland's Face on Mars... New pictures don't look like a face at all, but the original face on the Viking photo was clearly a case of pareidolia... At least I am not at all convinced by his later explanations about half-feline faces.

Originally posted by ukuli
Pareidolia is truly interesting.

I have also been wondering if conspiracy theories in general could be a result of similar brain processes. Seeing a pattern in chaos. The whole system is a total chaos, people just want to perceive some planning in the random process.

This is an interesting article about finding patterns:

Insecure Minds Wired for Pattern-Finding
A perfectly healthy human mind can trick itself into seeing things that are not there, and new research has exposed exactly the sort of conditions under which that happens.

It turns out that the less control a person feels, the more likely they are to see patterns or make connections that don't exist. The good news is there is a way to fortify yourself against this sort of hard-wired self-deception.

"It's true that having control is a big thing for most people," said researcher Adam Galinsky of Northwestern University. Galinsky is a co-author of a paper reporting on new experiments into the matter, which appears in the Oct. 3 issue of the journal Science. "We showed that it's a very significant problem."

Previous research had hinted at the details of the strange human habit, said Galinsky. A study in the 1970s showed how during hard economic times people read more astrology books and columns (astronomy reading was unchanged, for comparison). There is also evidence that UFO sightings ramp up in times of high national stress.

dsc.discovery.com...

its like an optical illusion! Weird stuff the perception of the eye! Nice work on unveiling the mystery

pod

Definitely one of the best "optical illusions" I've seen.

I just didn't get it...at first..?

I saw the big "jesus" head first and really could not see that kid... till ya pointed it out...

Great find

[edit on 23/12/08 by blupblup]

reply to post by internos


First I saw the kid, then I saw the "Jesus" head. It did take me a little while to see the kid again (I did not use the colour enhanced version). Pretty cool optical illusion.

reply to post by internos

Best pareidolia ever?

yes internos that is the best example of it i have ever seen and if someone didn't tell you other wise you would not even see the child...amazing

not as good an example as your Op but i found this today and thought i would post it since it looks like a face also but it really isn't

www.komonews.com...

reply to post by easynow



That was really fun to watch, thanks for sharing, easynow!

Here is another face, this time in the clouds. Salvador Dali, perhaps. Or one of the three Musketeers..?




Image is taken from the section called "Clouds That Look Like Things" at this website:
cloudappreciationsociety.org...

reply to post by ziggystar60



glad you liked that Ziggystar

nice picture you posted also thanks ")

did you notice that the face in internos picture and my picture and your picture all look very very similar ?

who is this guy ?

reply to post by internos



hello internos,

i thought this picture might be good for the collection here



mt-druitt-standard.whereilive.com.au...

I have some snapshots taken at my home that are significant to this topic. I believe there is a "Spiritual Warfare happening in my life and these I think provide insight. Please take a look and let me know your opinion.
Thanks