This photo taken in 1865 shows a young Sarah 'Sallie' Lockwood Winchester (née Pardee) aged just 26. In 1862, Sarah married William Wirt Winchester, the only son of Oliver Winchester, founder of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. The couple had one child, Annie Pardee Winchester, who tragically died in 1866, just a month after her birth.

In 1881, William died of tuberculosis, leaving Sarah a staggering $20 million inheritance – at least $638 million (£503m) today – and half ownership of the Winchester company, making her one of the wealthiest women in the United States. That same year, she also endured the deaths of her mother and father-in-law. Overcome by grief, Sarah began wearing black mourning attire, a practice she would continue for the rest of her life.

Explore the Winchester Mystery House: secret passages, hidden rooms and a door to nowhere (copy)