This episode Megan & Milena cover craftswoman and mother of modern forensics, Frances Glessner Lee & American oceanographic cartographer Marie Tharp  

Frances Glessner Lee

Frances at work on one of her Nutshell studies

The first of our deaths opens in a two-story house. It’s April of 1948, we’re in the back of the house, where both porches for the middle and top floor have laundry hanging to dry – from the flower pots to the swaying towels, everything is in order, perfectly ordinary – it’s still early in the day, but at the ground below a woman is crumbled and dead.             It’s Annie Morrison, who lived with her husband on the top floor, she is lying face down, a wet rag and wooden cloths pin beside her  – the question is, how did she die? This, is where our artist comes into play – Frances Glessner Lee – also known as the mother of forensics. Frances tasked herself with compiling information on unexplained deaths, like that of our Annie Morrison, and depicting the scenes, in the form…..of dollhouses. Her combination of craftsmanship and scientific investigation resulted a series of dollhouse studies that are still used today to train investigators. This episode we cover how they came about, the skill and dedication that went into them and figure out just how Annie Morrison died.

Selected Work

The studies AKA murder dollhouses on display at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore where to this day they are still used in training

Detail view of one of the rooms, with the mentioned eggbeater charm hanging to the right of the sink

Detail shot of the attic scene – Frances hand knit these socks using pins

Shot of the attic study

Front view of the Nutshell depicting Annie Morrison dead

Detail of the neighbor looking at Annie, who had been hanging laundry one April morning on the top porch. What happened? Give a listen and you’ll know

* Blewett Lee – Lawyer and husband, who Frances divorced – also pioneer in aviation law * Dr. George Burgess Magrath – One of the first Medical Examiners in the United States, family friend to Frances and advocate for forensic science in legal and investigation application * Department of Legal Medicine at Harvard Medical School – School that Frances funded with her 4 million dollar donation to Harvard, with Dr. Magrath chairing * Physiognomy – Racist ‘science’ used to peg people criminals based solely on how they looked, precursor to forensic investigation tools *