Kora's Grandmother in Garden
note: click image to open high-resolution scan
What This Is
A Polaroid photograph taken in summer 2026, showing Kora's grandmother standing beside scarlet runner bean plants in her Dorchester community garden plot. The photo was taken approximately two months before the August 2027 evacuation. The handwritten caption on the white border reads "Dorchester Garden '26."
Why It's Important
This photograph captures the last documented image of both the grandmother and the bean plants before the volatility period escalated. The scarlet runner beans visible in the photo are the same variety she would bury in the red toolbox one year later. This image proved essential in confirming the connection between the recovered seeds and Kora's family when Mx. Kora Osei recognized her grandmother's garden during archival processing in 2072.
Where It Came From
Discovered in Kora's personal effects during a Memorial Seed Commons staff reorganization in 2071. The photo had been kept in Kora's desk drawer for decades, its significance unknown until the Dorchester excavation in 2045 recovered the buried seeds. The Polaroid shows typical aging for instant film stored in less-than-ideal conditions: faded colors, yellowed border, fingerprint marks from frequent handling.