They look the same. I know that there was a black widow under the shelf that the web is on... but it seems here in Oklahoma a Black Widow and the Brown Recluse don't mind sharing webs? I find them ALL the time on the same web area. Seems strange. Honestly, I'm glad they're widows. We have multiple of both each summer in and around our house. My children have not been bitten yet, amazingly...

I'd like to see that if you can take some pics. It would be quite odd since the brown recluse is more of a ground spider... not really found in webs.

I guess that's why I said "web area". I find them in the same places all the time on my porch (we live in a rural part of town). But also, I visited a state park where the eaves/soffit of the bathroom structures were COVERED with widows & webs and there were brown recluses all peppered in, just hanging out in the same space. They seemed to me to be in closer proximity than I thought would be "comfortable". Maybe because they don't actually get ON the web the widows don't "know"? Sounds silly, but I can't think of another way to put it! I'll see if I can find some to photograph for you a little later on today, or next time I see them together.

Oops, I hadn't realized the other image was a ventral shot. This does look similar.