It all began with a brown leather suitcase discovered beneath a bed in 2009, after the death of Antony Easton’s father, Peter. As he sorted through his father’s belongings in Lymington, he stumbled upon a treasure trove of German banknotes, family photographs, and crucial documents revealing that his father was actually born Peter Hans Rudolf Eisner in pre-war Germany to a wealthy Jewish family. This revelation led Antony on a decade-long quest to uncover the hidden fortune and the family history that had been suppressed under Nazi rule.



As he explored the contents of the suitcase, Easton found items that painted a stark contrast between his father’s modest life in London and the opulence of his family’s past, including images of childhood luxury juxtaposed with grim reminders of history—a photograph featuring a young Peter with a Nazi flag in the background.



Antony’s investigation revealed the vast wealth of his great-grandfather Heinrich Eisner, a prominent businessman who owned a steel company that flourished prior to the Nazi regime. However, as the political climate worsened, the Eisners lost everything. In 1938, the family was forced to sell their company at a loss to escape the increasing oppression and threats, an act later identified as a forced sale under duress.



Key documents discovered by Easton showed that the family's attempts at survival included pawning their properties to a family friend, Martin Hartig. While they believed that Hartig, a non-Jew, would uphold his moral obligation to return their assets, he instead claimed the properties as his own, leaving the family with almost nothing.



Despite this immense loss, Antony Easton was determined to reclaim his family heritage. Working with an investigator, he unearthed records connected to the Eisner family's art, some of which could be returned. The Brohan Museum in Berlin has even agreed to return a significant painting to Easton, highlighting the importance of recognizing and restituting cultural theft from the Nazi era.



Antony reflects on how this recovery process is less about reclaiming objects and more about restoring his family's narrative. He emphasizes the significance of understanding his ancestors not just as victims of history but as individuals with rich, lived experiences. This journey has created a cultural bridge; the Eisner name is now honored in the next generation through Antony's great-nephew, Caspian, who carries the legacy forward.