Forgetomori carries some great content about the paranormal, and recently posted this truly remarkable example of pareidolia…..
The photo below shows the clear profile of a giant bearded man with his eyes closed.
However, look again and you will realise that it is actually a photo of a Victorian couple, with a small child (wearing a white hat) sitting on the man’s knee.
Amazing.
I can see the couple, but I can’t make out the child for the life of me!
I’ve seen this one before – it’s a great one! Margeret – the “eyebrow” is actually the brim of the child’s hat (shadowed).
Thanks for the tip Tom now I see it. Very bizarre.
Quintessential Gestalt switch. Really good one.
Oh, and look, the man looks a bit like Jesus…
I love how humans can see faces all over the place (though obviously this one is much closer to looking like a real portrait). It played havoc with me as a kid (strangers in the curtains! or was that just me?)
@Tim – (totally baiting and not at all serious) So, Jesus was Caucasian then?
I like that picture very much. Took me ages to get though. Very good.
Yes, it took me several tries too, to find the child! Speaking of Jesus, my grandmother used to have an illusion she kept on her kitchen counter top. It was a cutout that said JESUS, but sometimes you could make out the words and the next time it looked like a bunch of rectangular sticks. I guess on those days, I probably needed to go to confession.
THANKYOU TOM!!! I’ve seen this picture dozens of times if not more and have never come close to making out anything that even remotely resembles the supposed child. FINALLY after your post I’ve been able to (eventually, it still took a while) make it out. I’ve felt like the guy in Mallrats staring at the 3d picture thing of a schooner. Actually, like him I can’t do those pictures either.
Fascinating how pattern oriented creatures we are. It took me a little until I saw the child. I would have to agree with you Richard, it is the best pareidolia.
strange… I saw the couple and child first and had to look hard for the bearded man! Maybe I’m just not very open to the paranormal.
Much thanks, Tom. What a very large hat she’s wearing!
I still can’t see the child, but in the background above the man’s head I can see a transparent lady in a long full skirt holding a parasol!
I saw the couple. And I saw the face. But I didn’t see the child until you told me where to look.
I had to cover the lower half of the “bearded face” before I could see the child’s head.
That took me a long time to see! I had to cover up the man’s hair before I could see the child.
i c the mother and father but i can’t c the child, all i c is the mans head
Once Richard pointed out where the child was I spotted it immediately. The forehead of the bearded man is the child’s hat, his eyebrows are the shadow of the hat, his eyelid is the child’s chin, his cheek is her shirt, his nose is her sleeve, his moustache is her fore-arm, his hair is a bush in the background.
wow…that creepy
[...] Best ever example of Pareidolia Forgetomori carries some great content about the paranormal, and recently posted this truly remarkable example of [...] [...]
This is a classic picture. I’ve seen it a few times. Its an amazing coincidence, or is it? POssible the photographer could have staged it, but would still be difficult to pull off.
[...] week, besides being BoingBoinged two times, I was also thrilled to be recommended by Richard Wiseman. As well as links from Posthuman Blues and the many from Anomalist and others. Please forgive me [...]
I see another couple at the very top of the photo.
One is a man with a grey goatee and a white shawl.
The second is above the woman; her white throw is the woman’s hat.
I can also see some kind of white-bearded monkey behind the woman’s left arm.
Either these are images on the plate from a previous photo,
or I’ve had too many gins and tonic.
Hello!
Very Interesting post! Thank you for such interesting resource!
PS: Sorry for my bad english, I’v just started to learn this language
See you!
Your, Raiul Baztepo
It’s amazing how one has to focus one’s mind to see the less obvious and when we do – it’s as clear as crystal. If I hadn’t seen Tom’s note, I wouldn’t have seen the child as my mind only saw the face of the none existant bearded man in the forefront. That speaks volumes about the brain and our perceptions of what we think we’ve seen when it doesn’t exist at all.
Hi !!! ^_^
My name is Piter Kokoniz. oOnly want to tell, that your blog is really cool
And want to ask you: is this blog your hobby?
Sorry for my bad english:)
Thank you:)
Piter Kokoniz, from Latvia
AMAZING! i love those pareidolian images…