This week in movies you missed: Elaborate tiny doll abodes are just so adorable. But wait, what’s that blood spatter doing on the wall? Why are all the inhabitants of this miniature home … dead?
What You Missed
In the 1930s, a Chicago heiress named Frances Glessner Lee began creating a series of intricate miniatures. This was no idle rich lady’s hobby — it was a key step in the development of forensic science.
Lee, a Sherlock Holmes fan with a passion for criminal justice, crafted the 18 Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death as a teaching tool for homicide investigators. Each diorama presents an ambiguous death (or deaths) and is designed to test the observer’s ability to follow clues methodically to a deduction. The Maryland Medical Examiner’s Office in Baltimore, where the Nutshell Studies now reside, still uses them to educate officers.
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