I’m presently reading a nonfictional book about Frances Glessner Lee from Chicago, IL, (1878-1962).  I thought this true historical story would be an interesting blog.

Frances was a daughter of a wealthy family who gained their riches through International Harvester.  As a girl, she was fond of reading Sherlock Holmes mysteries.

Frances went on to marry at the age of 19 and have three children.  She then divorced.

She helped establish the Department of Legal Medicine at Harvard.  She believed that no one should get away with murder.  Frances also believed that medical examiners should replace coroners since they had more knowledge of medicine and death.

To help with the training in the field of forensics, Frances made The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death.  These were a series of dollhouse-like dioramas.

The dioramas displayed 20 true death scenes.  Every eerie detail was perfect.  She even used red nail polish to mimic blood stains.  The models each cost between $3,000 and $4,500 to hand make.

The participants enrolled in crime seminars were allowed 90 minutes to observe one diorama and gather whatever clues they could use to explain the scene.  Was the death murder, suicide, or a natural cause?  All the clues were there.

Frances Glessner Lee was a true forensic scientist and her nutshell exhibits are still in use today.  However, the “solutions” to the Nutshell crimes scenes are never given out.  The dioramas, made in the 1940’s and 1950’s are, also, considered to be works of art and have been loaned at one time to Renwick Gallery.

When Frances passed away in 1962, the endowment for the Harvard program ended and the dioramas were then taken to Baltimore.  They are currently housed in the Chief Medical Examiner’s office and are not open to the public.

Sorry no photographs of the Nutshell series on today’s blog.  Please feel free to go online to check out some of her ghostly dollhouses of murder, suicide or natural death–then you decide.

 

Happy Halloween!