Musical Accompaniment: When I Saw You performed by the Ronettes

I love finding doppelgängers in old pictures.

If you aren’t familiar with the word, here’s how Brittanica defines it: “doppelgänger, (German: “double goer”), in German folklore, a wraith or apparition of a living person, as distinguished from a ghost. The concept of the existence of a spirit double, an exact but usually invisible replica of every man, bird, or beast, is an ancient and widespread belief. To meet one’s double is a sign that one’s death is imminent. The doppelgänger became a popular symbol of horror literature, and the theme took on considerable complexity. ”

Every once in a blue moon, I’ll come across an old photo that looks exactly like someone I know — except the picture was taken a century or more ago.  I’ve only come across a celebrity doppelgänger once (see our 2016 post on Mick Jagger’s doppelgänger). But do you believe it? I came across two celebrity doppelgängers in San Quentin!

I won’t tell you the celebrity names, but I’m sure you can guess! The first was Elva Clark, aliases Lulu Clark and Blanch Stauber, who was convicted of passing eight false checks in 1928.

The second doppelgänger is Thomas J. Bawles. This fellow stole a bicycle from a minister. Pretty low down, Thomas J.!

Can you identify their modern counterparts?