Stanley Kubrick's 1980 film adaptation of The Shining boasts one of the most chilling final scenes in cinematic history: a haunting photograph from the 1921 Fourth of July ball at the Overlook Hotel, prominently featuring Jack Torrance (played by Jack Nicholson), despite him not yet being born at that time. This iconic image was created by superimposing Nicholson onto a genuine photograph, which had faded into obscurity until its recent rediscovery—45 years after the film's release.

Alasdair Spark, a retired academic from the University of Winchester, shared the journey of uncovering this historic image on Getty's Instagram. He detailed how facial recognition software identified the unknown man in the photo as Santos Casani, a London ballroom dancer. The photograph, Spark revealed, was one of three taken by the Topical Press Agency during a St. Valentine's Day Ball on February 14, 1921, at the Empress Rooms in the Royal Palace Hotel, Kensington. Alongside this revelation, Spark shared a new scan from the original glass-plate negative and supporting handwritten documents.

The search for this image was a collaborative effort involving Spark, New York Times staffer Arick Toller, and dedicated Redditors. Initially, the quest seemed futile as cross-references to Casani and other suggested sources failed to match. There were fears that the photo might be lost to history. However, Spark's persistence paid off when he learned from on-set photographer Murray Close, who captured the image of Nicholson that was superimposed over Casani, that the original picture was sourced from the BBC Hulton Library. Knowing that Hulton had acquired Topical Press in 1958 and that Getty later took over in 1991, Spark delved into Getty's vast archives. Their efforts culminated in finding that the image was licensed to Hawk Films, Kubrick's production company, on October 10, 1978, for use in The Shining.

Spark clarified that the photo dated back to 1921, as Kubrick had stated, not 1923 as Joan Smith had suggested. Contrary to various speculations, the photograph depicted a group of ordinary Londoners on a Monday evening, with no celebrities, financiers, or devil worshippers present—just Jack Nicholson composited into the scene. As the Overlook Hotel's manager in the film remarked, it showcased "all the best people."

This rediscovery is a heartwarming moment for cinephiles, especially fans of Stephen King's 1977 novel The Shining, which has been adapted into Kubrick's iconic film and Mick Garris' faithful 1997 miniseries.