A panel portrait of William Ladd c. 1835 hangs in the historic Moffatt-Ladd House in Portsmouth NH. For years the curator has pointed out the ghostly apparition of another face hovering in the dark background over William’s right shoulder. The painting has recently been x-rayed and the discovery is far more conclusive than anyone had expected. A complete portrait of an entirely different man exists beneath the current one. Perhaps the original sitter was not pleased with his portrait and so the panel was reused for this portrait of Ladd. The heavy grid seen in the x-ray is the wooden cradle attached to the back of the panel to prevent the portrait from warping.

The portrait here to the right as it currently looks today.

A subtle suggestion of two eyes can be seen in the

shadows of the drapery beside Ladd’s cheek.