LeFleur's Haunted Portrait

Brennan's Restaurant on Royal Street in New Orleans' French Quarter is well respected as a world-class restaurant. "Breakfast at Brennan's" has become a great tradition for visitors as well as locals who enjoy fabulous food in a relaxed, elegant setting.

Upstairs at Brennan's, the Red Room is famous for its ghosts. According to legend, M. Lefleur calmly went out one morning and arranged for three funerals. Upon returning home, he killed his wife and his son before hanging himself from the sturdy chandelier in the center of the Red Room. Portraits of the three decorate the walls of that room.

In addition to a startling "cold spot" over the lovely fireplace in the Red Room, the portrait of M. Lefleur seems to change expression every time you glance at it. I took several photos of the portrait, but as M. Lefleur's smile changed to a sinister grimace, my camera had problems and the pictures turned murky.

Below, you can see a series of my photos taken one evening in July 2005. I had to increase the contrast on the right two so that the face could be seen online. Other than that, I did not alter them at all. They are all the same portrait.

I'm aware that this is one of those "either you see it or you don't" situations. Not everyone will see the changes between the pictures, and some will blame it on changes in the lighting. It also helps if you've seen the portrait in real life, so you know what you're looking for.

The face seemed to change from posed to vulnerable (or perhaps younger), and then a troubled grimace tightened his lips. It turned slightly sneering, and slightly distasteful. Finally, he looked anguished or perhaps angry, and sinister.

I am returning to Brennan's for more (and better) photos which will appear in my book about haunted New Orleans.

However, if you dine at Brennan's--which I highly recommend--and have an opportunity to visit the Red Room, keep checking the portrait of M. Lefleur and see if his expression changes very slightly.

The transformation isn't as dramatic as the special effects that alter the portrait at the entrance to Disney's "Haunted Mansion" attraction, but I wonder if Brennan's painting inspired it.

Brennan's is among New Orleans' most haunted sites, and serves some of the best food in the world: Brennan's Restaurant, 417 Royal Street -- in the French Quarter, New Orleans, Louisiana. Phone (504) 525-9711. http://www.brennansneworleans.com/

Brennan's Red Room and exterior photos are courtesy of Brennan's Restaurant (c)2005
The three photos of the Lefleur portrait are (c)2005 Fiona Broome.

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