The Lawson family photo was shot just before one of the most horrific murders in twentieth-century American history.

They were a working-class family from North Carolina, led by Charlie Lawson (born 1886), a farmer, and his wife, Fannie Lawson (born 1897).

The parents had seven surviving children after one died in infancy: Arthur, 19; Marie, 17; Carrie, 12; Maybell, seven; James, four; Raymond, two; and Mary Lou, four months old.

Shortly before Christmas in 1929, the father brought his family to the nearby town to shop for new clothes and have a family photo done.

This was seen as a somewhat uncommon and costly gesture for a working-class farming family back then.

Only years later, many interpreted the Lawson Family image as a potential foreshadowing of what was to come.

According to Allthatisinteresting.com, it is ‘a strong candidate for the scariest photo ever captured.’

The Lawson Family Portrait

The black and white photo, shot in a studio in nearby Winston-Salem, depicts the Lawsons in formal attire, expressionless, staring into the camera.

Charlie’s harsh expression, in particular, was maybe merely a foreshadowing of what was to come.

Charlie murdered his daughters Carrie and Maybell on Christmas Day when they were on their way to see relatives near a tobacco barn.

He then went to the home and shot his wife, Fannie, on the porch. Inside, he killed Marie, then the two youngest sons, James and Raymond.

Finally, he bludgeoned Baby Mary Lou to death.

Whatever happened to Charlie Lawson?

After murdering seven family members, Charlie went into the woods and committed suicide with a shotgun.

Arthur, his eldest son, was the only kid who survived. Charlie and Arthur had gone hunting that morning, and the father sent them to town for ammo.

Arthur is believed to have led a very secluded life after his family’s tragic death.

What was Charlie’s motivation?

Most historians consider the issue insoluble, although some assume Charlie was suffering from mental illness or a brain injury at the time.

Jeff Cochran, the screenwriter of Trouble Will Cause, a documentary about the murder-suicide, told Yes Weekly in 2018: “It was a particularly brutal murder, and I believe the main reason it has resonated with so many people for so many years is that no one knows why Charlie Lawson murdered his family.

“There are a dozen different ideas and explanations for why Charlie Lawson did what he did.

“Some of the ideas are radical and unrealistic, but the majority of people’s ideas are logically sound.

“I believe that the majority of ideas are developed to satisfy one’s own curiosity.

“People see this brutal, senseless murder and think there must be an equally extreme explanation behind it.”