Thursday, October 30, 2014

Murder in Miniature

Hi Folk,

This morning I just had a few minutes while drinking my morning cupper, I was listening to BBC radio via my iPad, so I heard the word Baltimore which held my attention, as Baltimore is quite close to us in the scheme of travel in the USA, just a couple of hours south.

The program was about miniature scenes, some of houses or barns, so somewhat like miniature dolls houses, but with a twist.  These are forensic miniatures of crime scenes, made by Frances Glessner Lee born in 1878 to a wealthy family in Chicago, she lived on Prairie Avenue, where all the rich people lived, their fortune was from International Harvester.



Her father would not hear of her going to college, so she took the traditional route of wealthy women of the time, married, had three children and not so traditionally was divorced within eight years.  It was not until her father died when she came into her own, that she pursued her passion which was legal medicine and especially death scene crime investigation.  See here details Death in Miniature

It seems that over twenty detailed miniature scenes are housed in Baltimore, but can only be seen at special request.


Corinne May Botz wrote a book about Frances Glessner Lee.  I may go to the library and get that.  The miniatures were built by a carpenter and his son, and took as much time and cost as much as a regular house of that time period would have cost.  Frances also contributed to the miniatures and it was her eye for minute detail that makes them so interesting and used as a teaching tool for homicide detectives.


Burned cabin miniature.


Pink bedroom miniature.

I found it quite fascinating so go to the link Death in Miniature

This morning was a beautiful ride to work.  There was a cold mist hovering over the grass and shafts of sunlight were filtering through the autumn foliage, very lovely.  I just wanted to get out with my camera and take photos, but of course had no time to do so.

Take care,
Christy

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