Welcome Foolish Mortals to the Haunted Mansion Lore- Portraits Edition.
“Our tour begins here in this gallery. Here, where you see paintings of some of our guests as they appeared in their corruptible, mortal state.”
The Stretching Room
When we enter the room, the portraits look ordinary until the room and paintings begin to stretch!
Lore provided is according to The Ghost Gallery, Cast Members who have created unofficial backstories for ghosts in the Mansion. Let us begin with the most important portrait…
Mary Gracey
September 30, 1859 to Unknown
This nice? old lady is Mary Gilbert Gracey the mother of Master George Gracey Jr. (owner of the mansion).
Nicknamed The Black Widow, Mary was manipulated into a loveless marriage with George Gracey. She became rightfully salty after her husband left her to raise their son solo. Eventually, George Sr came home and told his wife that he had an affair. In anger she murdered him with a hatchet to the head, stating it was a “crime of passion.” She was let off for her crime, took her inheritance and fled the country leaving her son, George Gracey Jr, the master of the mansion.
Lillian Gracey
August 3, 1896 to June 14, 1937
This lovely lady is Lillian O’Malley Gracey. She is the first wife of Master George Gracey Jr.. At the age of 15, Lillian ran away from her wealthy family to be with her circus performer boyfriend. After he died in a freak accident with a lion, Lillian joined the same circus as a tightrope walker.
Lillian eventually left the circus to marry Master Gracey but the apple didn’t fall far from the tree and George Jr cheated on his wife with his clairvoyant Madame Leota! (p.s. I want my own clairvoyant) Madame Leota became fed up with Lillian, convinced her to do a tightrope act for the family and then summoned an alligator to kill her. Furiously crosses ‘want my own clairvoyant’ off my list.
Edward Gracey
November 9, 1877 to May 1, 1937
This pompous looking fellow is Ambassador Edward Gracey, Master Gracey’s paternal Uncle. Edward never married and entered the diplomatic corps after college.
He was working in Burma as an ambassador when insurgents burst into the embassy.
The Dynamite Gentleman died after he caught the insurgents lighting the dynamite barrel. “But where are his pants?” you ask? Edward was in the middle of ironing them before his big speech when he found the insurgents.
Quicksand Men
unknown to November 1, 1942
The top man with the bowler hat was Master Gracey’s liveryman (stable attendant) & illegitimate half-brother. Remember that affair George Sr had?!
The middle man was Asa Gilbert, the mansion’s handyman and half-brother of Master Gracey’s mother, The Black Widow.
Eddie Foster, the unfortunate man on the bottom was the mansion’s gardener and illegitimated son of Master Gracey’s uncle, Edward Gracey. Ambassador Gracey never married but that didn’t stop him from getting around.
All three men were reportedly in love with Mistress Lillian Gracey and devastated by her traumatic death, via alligator. They were tricked into the mansion’s quicksand pit by Little Leota (Madame Leota’s daughter) after her failed attempts to seduce ALL THREE OF THEM (presumably not at the same time). Quite the love triangle…
In all my times inside the Haunted Mansion, I never knew the portrait’s backstory or how they were all connected to one another!
I hope you enjoyed this detailed look at the stretching room’s portraits. Stay tuned next week for Haunted Mansion Lore: The Madame Leota Edition.
