The Sweet and Peaceful Face
In the Secret Annex, as her world grew smaller and smaller, Anne Frank found comfort in her memories. On September 28, 1942, she wrote about a specific photograph from June 1939. It was a picture of her and her sister, Margot, at the beach, with their grandmother, Rosa Holländer-Stern, sitting in the background. She notes that it is the “only photograph of granny Holländer,” a detail that makes the image all the more precious.
Anne’s memory of the moment is vivid and tactile. She remembers how “terrible cold” she was after getting out of the water, and how she put on her bathrobe for warmth. But her focus quickly shifts to her grandmother. She recalls how her grandmother was sitting “so sweetly and peacefully,” just as she “was wont to do.” This memory is a beautiful contrast to the chaos and fear that were beginning to surround Anne’s life. Her grandmother’s presence in the photo is a symbol of a time when the world was still filled with peace and security. Anne’s longing for her grandmother is palpable, as she writes, “I still think of her so often and wish she still kept the peace at home.” The memory of her grandmother’s calm and loving presence was a source of comfort and a reminder of a life that was now lost forever.