Mystery Picture
The photograph below is a striking one, taken in Jaffa by Dawoud Sabungi, one of the most renowned photographers in Palestine during that era. The original was in the possession of Najla Berouti, one of Emile Nicolas Berouti’s eight children. Within the family, there is a prevailing belief that the individuals in the picture are Nicolas Yacoub, Marie Regina Farajallah, and their four children—Michel, Gabriel, Negib, and Emile.
The back of the above photograph.
Yet, an intriguing puzzle surrounds this photograph. Who are the young woman and the two additional children (encircled below in blue)? Many hypotheses have emerged. The first suggests they might be cousins to the Beroutis. The second proposes that Michel, the eldest son, may already have been married at the time, with the young woman being his wife, Julia Araktingi, and the two children their sons, Nicolas and Georges.
The first hypothesis prompted an investigation into baptism records from St. Anthony’s Church within a specific timeframe, spanning 1855 to 1878. Unfortunately, this effort yielded no new insights, as no additional Berouti children were recorded during this period.
The second hypothesis was analyzed through the ages of the children relative to one another. If the boys encircled in blue were indeed Nicolas and George, Nicolas—the older of the two—would have been 17 years younger than his uncle Emile, the youngest child encircled in red. The photograph, however, does not reflect such an age gap, ruling out this possibility.
Despite these uncertainties, the case for this being the Berouti family remains compelling. The apparent age differences between the four boys encircled in red align with the birth dates of Michel, Gabriel, Negib, and Emile: November 1861, March 1864, September 1868, and April 1871, respectively. If these boys are indeed the Beroutis, we can hypothesize that the three standing in the back are, from left to right, Michel, Negib, and Gabriel, while the boy seated between his parents is Emile.
Finally, if we look at the images below, could these be the same individuals? The facial features may bear some resemblance, but without clearer images—sadly not available to us at present—any conclusion would remain speculative.
Unfortunately, the bottom image is of poor quality, but we know it depicts Michel Berouti. Could the young man in the top picture be the same person?
We know that the top picture is of Emile Nicolas Berouti. Could the young boy be the same person?