The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death [Hardcover]

Corinne May Botz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 28, 2004

The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death offers readers an extraordinary glimpse into the mind of a master criminal investigator. Frances Glessner Lee, a wealthy grandmother, founded the Department of Legal Medicine at Harvard in 1936 and was later appointed captain in the New Hampshire police. In the 1940s and 1950s she built dollhouse crime scenes based on real cases in order to train detectives to assess visual evidence. Still used in forensic training today, the eighteen Nutshell dioramas, on a scale of 1:12, display an astounding level of detail: pencils write, window shades move, whistles blow, and clues to the crimes are revealed to those who study the scenes carefully.

Corinne May Botz's lush color photographs lure viewers into every crevice of Frances Lee's models and breathe life into these deadly miniatures, which present the dark side of domestic life, unveiling tales of prostitution, alcoholism, and adultery. The accompanying line drawings, specially prepared for this volume, highlight the noteworthy forensic evidence in each case. Botz's introductory essay, which draws on archival research and interviews with Lee's family and police colleagues, presents a captivating portrait of Lee.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Bizarre and utterly fascinating, The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death is a dark and disturbing photographic journey through criminal cases and the mind of Frances Glessner Lee--grandmother, dollhouse-maker, and master criminal investigator. Photographer Corinne May Botz stumbled across the "Nutshell Studies" while making a video about women who collect dollhouses. On the suggestion of a collector, she visited the Baltmore Medical Examiner's Office, where Lee's miniature reconstructions of crime scenes were on display. The macabre dioramas fascinated and repulsed her: "I was entranced by the details: the porcelain doll with a broken arm in the attic, the grains of sugar on the kitchen floor...I was also riveted by the miniature corpses. Shot in bed, collapsed in the bathtub, hung in the attic and stabbed in the closet; all were eternally frozen in miniature rooms that had become their tombs."

A remarkable woman, Frances Glessner Lee established the Department of Legal Medicine at Harvard in 1936. At the time, innumerable murders went undetected because evidence was mishandled, or ignored. To train investigators of sudden and violent deaths to better assess visual evidence, Lee created the Nutshell Studies--dollhouses that students could study from every angle, with minute crime scenes details taken from actual cases. Lee created 18 dioramas, using only the most mysterious cases (cases that could have been ruled as accidents, murders, or suicides) to train detectives and challenge their ability to read evidence.

Botz reveals as much about the nature of obsession as she does about Frances Glessener Lee--each model is painstakingly photographed from multiple vantage points, allowing the reader to witness the astounding level of realism and precision in each case, as well as giving the reader unobstructed access to each eerie setting. All 18 studies include a brief synopsis of each case, as well as a key to each grisly floor plan. Perfect for amateur sleuths, aspiring medical examiners, and fans of CSI, The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death is grim and oh so bewitching. --Daphne Durham

Amazon.com Content
Inside The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death

Case: "Living Room"

Case: "Three-Room Dwelling"

Case: "Dark Bathroom"

About the Author

Corinne May Botz has published photographs and essays in magazines such as Life, Metropolis, 2wice, and Popular Science. Her photographs have been exhibited nationally and internationally.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 225 pages
• Publisher: The Monacelli Press; 1ST edition (September 28, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580931456
• ISBN-13: 978-1580931458
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.9 x 10.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #699,094 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful concept, disappointing pictures, October 21, 2004

By 

E. H. Perry (CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death (Hardcover)

The story of the Nutshell Studies is wonderful and intriguing. The Studies themselves are also intriguing... I think. The problem is that the photographs in this book are artsily blurry. I couldn't see the crime scenes clearly. An especial frustration is that there are line drawings of the crime scenes with clues marked -- but there's no corresponding photograph! It's very annoying to be told, for instance, that a doll's face is red from carbon monoxide when I can't see that face in any of the pictures.

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my new favorite books, October 25, 2004

By 

J. Ben Gaily (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death (Hardcover)

I picked up a copy of this book last week at a Chelsea art opening of the author's work. I think that the book is fabulous, both on the level that its subject matter is fascinating and in the quality and artistry of the photographs. I like the ambiguity of the pictures. The dioramas and stories are both intriguing and mysterious--there are no easy answers, which makes the book an intellectually interesting and challenging read. I notice new things each time I pick it up. All of the friends that I have shown the book to have loved it. Can't recommend it highly enough!

22 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars And the Truth Shall Make You Free, December 4, 2004

By 

Melanie Gilbert (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death (Hardcover)

The original Nutshell Studies were dioramas of evil and tragedy, created over 60 years ago by Chicago heiress Frances Glessner Lee, who used them to train investigators in the art of dissecting a crime. The presentation of these meticulously and faithfully reproduced scenes of mayhem - at a 1:12 scale - forced investigators to literally see "the little things," at a time when ignorant officers often ruined evidence critical to solving the case.

Author Corinne May Botz, who also shot the multiple-angle photographs of the 18 models, explores how conflicts and contrasts are at the heart of the dioramas as well as their creator, Lee. Botz suggests that Lee expressed her tension and ambivalence about her place in society through these equally conflicted and violent still lifes.

I gave this book 5 stars because I appreciated its fine quality - it is beautifully produced by Monacelli Press - but I also respected the way Botz's accompanying essays draw parallels rather than conclusions between Lee's life and her unconventional Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death. Botz's essay's show that whether it is a crime scene or a personal journey, the search for truth is what good investigators seek. Lee would have been proud.