Analysing a classic - 'The Brown Lady' Options

[Saru]

To get this area of the board started off, i thought we could start with a true classic.

This picture is the 'Brown Lady', a photograph taken in Raynham Hall in England, in 1936. The ghost had been seen for centuries, one famous encounter in particular involved George IV awaking in the night to see a ghostly woman in brown standing beside the bed.

The picture itself was taken by two photographers, Indra Shira and Mr. Provand, who had been employed by Lady Townsend to take photographs of the interior of the house. They were taking pictures of the stairs when Shira witnessed the apparition of the Brown Lady floating down the staircase. He asked Provand to take a picture, who while unable to see the entity pointed his camera at the stairs and took a picture. The result is one of the most famous ghost photographs ever.



So is this a genuine picture of a ghost ? If not, then what does the photograph show ? Is it an attempt at an early hoax, a double exposure or is there another explanation ?