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You are here: Home / Forensics / Frances Glessner Lee and the Nutshell Studies

Frances Glessner Lee and the Nutshell Studies

September 7, 2017 By Alice

Frances Glessner LeeMurder Is Her Hobby: Frances Glessner Lee and The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death explores the surprising intersection between craft and forensic science.

Frances Glessner Lee (1878-1962) made the “Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death” in exquisitely detailed miniature crime scenes to train homicide investigators. In a nutshell: “to convict the guilty, clear the innocent, and find the truth.” These dollhouse-sized true crime scenes were created in the first half of the 20th century and are still used in forensic training today. They helped to revolutionize the emerging field of forensic science.

Now you can see the doll houses for yourself. From October 20, 2017 through January 28, 2018 the Renwick Gallery exhibits these training tools.

If you want a sneak peak before heading out to Washington D.C. check out this guest blog post by movie director Susan Marks. She kindly wrote a guest blog post for my blog about the doll houses.

“Frances Glessner Lee, the first female police captain in the U.S., is considered the “godmother of forensic science.” She was a talented artist as well as criminologist, and constructed the Nutshells beginning in the early 1940s to teach investigators at Harvard University’s department of legal medicine how to properly canvass a crime scene to effectively uncover and understand evidence.

The equivalent to “virtual reality” in their time, her masterfully crafted dioramas feature handmade elements to render scenes with exacting accuracy and meticulous detail. Every element of the dioramas—from real tobacco in miniature, hand-burned cigarette butts, tiny stockings knit with straight pins, and working locks on windows and doors, to the angle of miniscule bullet holes, the patterns of blood splatters, and the discoloration of painstakingly painted miniature corpses—challenges trainees’ powers of observation and deduction.”

  • Exhibition: Murder Is Her Hobby: Frances Glessner Lee and The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death”
  • Where: Renwick gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 1st floor (Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street N.W.)
  • When: October 20, 2017 – January 28, 2018

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Filed Under: Forensics Tagged With: Frances Glessner Lee

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Author Notes

On this website, I write about old, unsolved cases. Most are from the pre-DNA era and are in need of renewed media attention. I only do research and leave the active investigation of these cases to the professionals.

My posts are about homicides, missing and unidentified people, wrongful convictions, and forensics as related to these cases.

On book reviews: I only review select works of true crime, crime fiction, and historical fiction/mysteries. The stories have to fit my website's theme and research. It remains my prerogative to not review a book.

My database has over 325 cases listed by the victim’s last name. You will find a brief description there as well. The database will always be free to the public to use. You cannot buy ad space on my website, ever.

All writing suggestions that come in by email are added to my to-do list in the order in which they were received. Please be patient. My to-do list is very long but no case gets dropped and I will get back in touch.

Defrosting Cold Cases is NOT an organization. It is my brainchild.

If you have any questions about my website please check the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, the about page, and the tabs in both menu bars. If you still cannot find the answer there, please contact me.

Thank you,

Alice de Sturler

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Copyright: Please add a link back if you use my work. Let your readers know where you found your information. I do the same for you. If you need help with this, just contact me. Thank you, Alice de Sturler

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