This is the man in the closet.

It's a photograph of a painting of James William Alexander, my great-grandfather.  When I was a little girl and we lived "on the farm", this painting was in the back of a huge closet that was at the top of the stairs just outside my bedroom.  It's not small.  It's about 24 inches by 36 inches, including the chalk frame.  My sister says she remembers being spooked by the portrait.

James Alexander was born in 1853 and died in 1890, so this portrait is over 100 years old now.

I now own the portrait. And, yes, it's in my closet.