Family's skiing trip takes a creepy turn when they find a painting of their child's doppelganger

Editor's note: This article was originally published on April 14, 2023. It has since been updated.

The idea of a doppelganger has fascinated people for centuries and it has been explored in various forms of media, including literature, film and television. Some people believe that encountering a doppelganger in real life can be life-changing, while others consider it to be purely a myth or superstition. However, a family had an unusual encounter that made them question their beliefs in this concept. While returning from a skiing trip in the mountains, the Stevenson family stopped at a rural Airbnb. Jenny Stevenson told TODAY, "Our children were starting to argue in the backseat, so I found a little cottage for us to stay overnight."

Following their luggage drop-off, the Swedish family commenced their inspection of the old, squeaky house adorned with vintage floral wallpaper. Jenny discovered that the guest bedroom was locked from the outside, and her daughter stumbled upon an even more shocking revelation.

As Jenny and her husband, Jethro, gathered for dinner with their kids, 14-year-old Dita, 11-year-old Morty and 8-year-old Barney, their attention was drawn to a wall print featuring a painting by Swedish artist Carl Larsson, who passed away in 1919. Jenny said, "My daughter said, ‘Mum, they’ve got a picture of Barney on the wall!'"

All individuals seated at the table, including Barney, concurred that the resemblance was striking. The young girl depicted in the print bore an uncanny resemblance to Barney and could be mistaken for his twin sister.

Jenny added, "That expression she's making in the painting, Barney pulls that face all the time. I'll ask him to smile for a picture and he gets a very intense, serious look." Jenny posted about the incident on her Twitter account, sharing a comparison of the young girl in the painting and Barney side by side. She wrote, "Just arrived at our secluded rural B&B to find a painting of our youngest child depicted as a small girl. There’s absolutely no terrifying precedent for this, so it’s probably fine."

Twitter user @JennieStevenson superimposed the two pictures, highlighting the striking similarity between the faces, and posted the outcome on Jenny's thread. They wrote, "Is it too late to find another place to stay...?" Meanwhile, @mitziandmaud said, "Maybe the Airbnb owner stalks all incoming guests on social media and they do this to each one to freak them out on arrival?!" @sammypants2000 commented, "If they invite you to any bonfires, night services at the local church, or an outing to the weirdly named Forbidden Forest, stay in."

Jenny shared an update on the situation, writing, "We all survived the night and are now safely 300 km south. Did wake at one point to hear an unusual papery sound, as though someone was flipping the pages of a book. Locked the door, [obviously], and was tempted to lock the children in their own room, but, I did not." The story went viral on Twitter and the post has more than 1.1 million views and more than 8,400 likes.