A cleaner copy of her photograph?

[Phil Carter]

Hello all,

How's this for a cleaner photographic image of Annie Chapman?

Notice, for example, how the hair is actually quite long, and likely pulled to one side underneath her head to her left?

This comes from the following website:-

http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/history/servant_girl/10.html

best wishes

Phil

[SaraCarter33]

That's the clearest version i have ever seen.

[protohistorian]

kudos Phil! Dave

[Adam Went]

Good work! Had never noticed that about the hair.

Cheers,
Adam.

[lynn cates]

thanks

Hello Phil. Good job. Thanks for sharing this clear image.

Cheers.
LC

[Mitch Rowe]

Yes.. It also looks as if she's in a rowboat or something?

[Phil Carter]

Possibly important.

Hello all,

Thank you.

Something I wish to quote in conjunction with this clearer, cleaner photographic copy of Annie Chapman, comes from The Ultimate Jack the Ripper Sourcebook, An Illustrated Encyclopedia, by Stewart Evans and Keith Skinner, published by Robinson, paperback edition, 2001.

In Chapter 5, September 1888- The Chapman Inquest and Police Enquiries,
page 96, George Bagster Phillips' testimony is quoted from The Times newspaper, 14th September 1888. In it he says the following:-

"...He noticed that the throat was dissevered deeply; and the incisions through the skin were jagged, and reached right round the neck."

(my emphasis in bold)

and later, he continued..

"...The throat had been severed as before described. The incisions in the skin indicated that they had been made from the left side of the neck. There were two distinct, clean cuts on the left side of the spine. They were parallel from each other and separated by about half an inch. The muscular structures appeared as though an attempt had been made to separate the bones of the neck."

This photograph, clear as it is, does not apparently show a cut reaching "round the neck" at all, let alone "jagged" and "parallel" to another cut.

Thoughts anyone?

best wishes

Phil

[protohistorian]

maybe

The position of the head would determine the appearance of the wound. If for example the head were positioned in a way such as looking up, it would widen the wound track to the casual observer. Conversely, a looking down attitude would push the flaps of skin on either side of the wound track together. To the casual observer, the wound would appear less jagged. Dave

[Phil Carter]

Hello Dave,

True, but does that explain that the wound does not appear to go "round" the neck? Because if saying what you have, the neck part "open to viewing" in this photoghraph would show jagged openess, would it not? It does not appear to show anything. The skin is "pulled" to the left, as shown. That would draw the wound open on the centre to right hand side of her neck, I propose?

best wishes

Phil

[protohistorian]

Well sir, no it does not. We have to remember however that we are bound to the fixed point of reference of the camera. We do not have the flexible frame of view of a 1st person. Camera's can mislead as much as lead. Dave

[Phil Carter]

Hello Dave,

If the cut was "round" the neck, from this fixed point, we would see the wound would we not?

best wishes

Phil

[protohistorian]

Perhaps not. We should also consider that "round the neck" as potentially meaning the right,front, and left aspects of the neck. Language is sometimes used in a less than effective manner. We see this in geography all the time. Dave

[Chava]

It looks to me as if the head is not positioned properly on the neck but is somewhat free-standing and has been propped up by the material behind it. The head was almost severed from the body. What I think we're actually seeing on the left side of the photograph is her jowl, not her neck, and it's covering the neck enough so that the wound isn't evident. Also she appears to have been covered below the neck by some kind of blanket with a white margin. It appears as though they have taken some pains to hide the damage inflicted by the killer.

[Hamrammr]

It looks to me as if the head is not positioned properly on the neck but is somewhat free-standing and has been propped up by the material behind it. The head was almost severed from the body. What I think we're actually seeing on the left side of the photograph is her jowl, not her neck, and it's covering the neck enough so that the wound isn't evident. Also she appears to have been covered below the neck by some kind of blanket with a white margin. It appears as though they have taken some pains to hide the damage inflicted by the killer.

I agree, her neck isn't in full view and the wounds may have been deliberately obscured so we can't really make any comments on the accuracy of the doctor's report.

[Debra A]

It looks to me as if the head is not positioned properly on the neck but is somewhat free-standing and has been propped up by the material behind it. The head was almost severed from the body. What I think we're actually seeing on the left side of the photograph is her jowl, not her neck, and it's covering the neck enough so that the wound isn't evident. Also she appears to have been covered below the neck by some kind of blanket with a white margin. It appears as though they have taken some pains to hide the damage inflicted by the killer.

I agree too, good points, Chava.
The point of the photograph was not to show off the throat wound anyway was it, but to photograph the face for identification purposes?