Frans Fagerroos (1877–1913), born on the island of Rymättylä near Turku, was the son of Reinhold Wilhelm, a sailor who tragically lost his life in an accident in the Indian Ocean when Frans was just 20. Inspired by their father’s adventurous spirit, Frans and his two brothers, Felix and Into, aspired to explore the world. While Felix and Into followed in their father’s footsteps and became sailors, Frans set his sights higher. He pursued a career as a craftsman, acquiring his skills from Continental Europe.

A man of many talents, Frans was a gilder and mirror maker during a time when these professions were losing their appeal. The Venetian-style mirrors, crafted following 16th-century designs, were falling out of favor as the revival styles period came to an end. In the early 20th century, Frans honed his craft in Gothenburg and Stockholm, and spent the years 1904–1905 living in Hanover. His goal was not only to master the art of gilding but also to learn languages. He took pride in his proficiency in both Swedish and German, often meeting his brother Felix in Hamburg.

Upon his return to Finland at the end of the first decade of the 20th century, Frans married Selma Söderholm, a native of Sauvo, another coastal village. They made their home in Turku, where they welcomed a daughter in 1911. Selma was expecting their second child, a boy, in the fall of 1912 when Frans passed away unexpectedly.

Life was challenging for Selma, raising two children of her own and an adopted child without their father. The children not only lost their father but also the presence of their uncles who lived far away. However, Felix began to share tales of his global adventures. Having settled as a firefighter and carpenter in Pensacola, Florida, he sent home catalogs of new houses, translated comics, and postcards. To the children, he was a hero, a distant surrogate for their father.

The family treasured the objects that Frans, Felix, and their father had brought back from their travels. These inexpensive but cherished exotic mementos serve as a testament to the everyday internationality in Turku at the beginning of the 20th century.