Significance of The Photograph of Edith Hjorth Fengel

While visiting at the home of Sophie Bang in Switzerland, David becomes fascinated by a photograph of a woman with eyes that, in description, sound much like his own ("her eyes look as if - as if she'd known a great deal, and yet she's smiling"). His fascination prompts Sophie to tell him the story of the woman, whom she identifies as Edith Hjorth Fengel (see "Characters").