The answer was eventually found among belongings that had remained with the family for generations. Inside an old wooden box was a small brass key accompanied by a handwritten note explaining that it had belonged to the children’s father, who had died shortly before the portrait was taken. The key opened a private compartment in his traveling trunk, where he had kept letters, documents, and the few valuables he owned.
According to the family account, the older daughter had refused to leave the key at home on the day of the photograph. Her father had given it to her shortly before his death and told her to protect it until she was old enough to understand what was inside the trunk. Her mother therefore allowed her to carry it into the photography studio, provided she kept it hidden in her hand.
