BLOG: 5 Photos People Claim Reveal Real Angels
The realm of the supernatural has fascinated the human world for centuries, and one of the most enduring entities of our intrigue is the figure of the angel.
Created by God to serve as ministering spirits, angels have been the subject of stories, works of art, and cultural beliefs countless times over. Angels have been considered to be guardians, sources of comfort, and messengers to those who believe in them. But though there are many believers who would admit to having felt the presence of angelic entities, actually seeing one seems much more rare. Capturing an angel on film, then, may be nothing short of a miracle! Whether you are a believer or a doubter, here are five photos people claim reveal real angels to make you ponder how the divine supernatural manifests itself in our physical world!
1) The Film Reel Angel
When architect Danny Sullivan purchased an old trunk in a British junk shop for just $15.00, he never expected he may have just bought evidence of an angel. After opening the trunk, Danny discovered letters and a film reel belonging to a World War II soldier named William Doidge. Dated 1951, the letters had been written to William by another soldier named Doug, who described his sighting of what may have been an angel hovering near a pontoon bridge in 1944. While training for the D-Day landings in Woodchester Park, Gloucestershire, Doug and his friend Chuck saw what Doug described in his letters as: “The whole thing took on the shape of what I can only describe as an Angel. I could see what looked like a long white robe. It had no feet and there were shapes like wings behind its shoulders.” The following day, the pontoon bridge collapsed at the exact location of Doug’s sighting, killing more than 20 soldiers.
Intrigued by Doug’s story, William Doidge took his camera and went searching for Doug’s angel - and based on the images from the re-discovered film reel, it appears he may have found it. After viewing the film in the old trunk, Danny Sullivan concluded, “The cruciform shapes made by a number of Angels are quite clear in the film that Doidge shot.” Taken from the reel, the image below reveals an angelic shape of light, suggesting wings, a head, and a hovering stance. Is it possible that Doidge went in search of Doug’s angel and actually found it, years later? Or was his film an attempt at recreating the event, using tricks of light and camera angles? With so many intervening decades between now and the film creation, it may be impossible to verify authenticity, but it preserves a hauntingly angelic image for us to consider!
2) The Chapel Angel
On November 15, 2013, a woman named Maureen Kent was attending Eucharistic adoration at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Glenview, Illinois. Wishing to capture the beautiful image of the Eucharist in the monstrance (the golden stand that holds it), she took a picture of the chapel while she was kneeling. Unexpectedly, her picture included not only the Eucharist, but a blindingly bright humanoid shape next to the altar. The anomalous shape appears larger than a normal human form, and looks like it is hovering off the ground.
Maureen’s friends have wondered whether she miraculously photographed the Virgin Mary, or perhaps another angelic being that supernaturally appeared at the same moment she took the picture. Who or what do you see in Maureen’s photo?
3) The Guardian Angel in the Hospital
In November 2008, 14-year-old Chelsea Banton was removed from life support at the hospital where she was being treated for multiple ailments. Chelsea had cerebral palsy and chronic health issues, and a case of pneumonia was taking the life out of her. In light of her suffering, her mother made the heart-wrenching decision to remove her daughter’s life support machine. However, it came as a surprise to everyone when hours after removing life support, Chelsea was still alive. That’s when a nurse at the nurses’ station happened to look at a monitor positioned outside the pediatric hospital ward, and witnessed a large glowing shape filling the doorway. Startled, the nurse called over other hospital staff to observe the image too, and they even went directly the doorway to check for an explanation. Every time they opened the doors, no light or shape was visible - but it remained in constant vigil on the screen. Within an hour, Chelsea showed signs of improving. Gradually her stats rose, and she continued to remain alive, breathing on her own. After what became a three-month hospital stay, she was allowed to return home.
Both Chelsea’s family and some of the hospital staff believe they witnessed the intervention of an angel outside Chelsea’s hospital ward, with one nurse practitioner even stating that in her 15 years at the hospital, she had never seen a sight like the glowing light in the doorway. After recovering from her 2008 health crisis, Chelsea continued to survive, grow, and even attend school, until eventually passing away in 2015 at the age of 21. In her obituary, she was remembered as “Angel Girl.”
Did an angel save Chelsea’s life in 2008, giving her seven more years to share with her family? Or is there another explanation for the bright light witnessed by dozens of people on her hospital monitor? Watch the video above to hear firsthand accounts of the mysterious, and conceivably supernatural, sighting.
4) Our Lady in the Sparklers
In 2007, a young girl named Erin Potter of Kirkland, Ohio was diagnosed with leukemia. By June 2012, she was facing her third bout of cancer and her second bone marrow transplant. On the evening of June 2, 2012, Erin’s mother snapped a photo of Erin playing in the backyard, running with lit sparklers and enjoying a “normal” childhood summer, despite her prognosis. Upon reviewing it, her mother realized Erin did not appear to be alone in the picture. Standing behind her is what looks like a tall figure of reddish light, transparent but seemingly human in shape. In an enhanced version of the photo, possible facial features, hair, and clothing can even be made out.
Enhanced image.
According to the Potters, no one was standing near Erin when the photo was taken. Her mother used a regular digital camera, and has stated that she did not shoot through a window (which could have caused a reflection). She believes - as do many who have seen the photo - that the image shows the presence of the Virgin Mary standing over her daughter, making it known that she is not alone in her fight against cancer. Not long after the photograph was taken, Erin underwent her second bone marrow transplant, and was declared cancer-free once again.
Does the picture taken by Erin’s mother reveal the angelic visage of Virgin Mary, watching over an innocent child? Or are we seeing an anomaly of light caused by Erin’s flaming sparklers in motion? Examine the original picture and the enhanced image above to draw your conclusions!
5) The Sky Seraphim
So little is known about the ‘Seraphim Angel in the Sky’ photo that its authenticity or even its origin story may never be ascertained. From what can be observed in the image itself, there appears be a hooded, robed figure floating in the middle of a stormy sky, bearing aloft its hands or some kind oblong objects. What it is, why it is there, or what led to the photo being taken all remain a mystery.
What is known: the year written on the bottom of the photo dates it to 1916, and a woman named Sandy Wasmer provided much of the only other information available about the image. According to Sandy, "I have a very old copy of this picture that was found in my grandfather's family bible when he died. Written on the back of the print was '1916 Arthur Hutchens - 4 Wells Kansas.' I've gone to the Kansas Historical Society website and can find no 4/Four Wells Kansas or Tornado of 1916." Beyond these small details, the photo is a black and white enigma.
Is the Sky Seraphim a supernatural omen that appeared as a storm approached over Kansas? Is it an example of early photo manipulation practiced by a photographer, or simply a cloud anomaly taking on a humanoid shape? It may be impossible to find out, but this early 20th century sighting of an alleged angel could be one of the first ever photographed!
For more stories about angelic interaction, listen to The Confessionals Podcast Episode 99: When Angels and Demons Visit to hear about Adriel’s lifelong visitations with angels and demons, and Episode 276: When Angels Sing to hear about two occasions of an angel singing in a worship service - including recorded audio from one of the events!
Do you believe in angels? Which of the photos above is the most convincing evidence of angels among us? Share your thoughts and theories in the comments!
~ Lindsay W. Merkel
