The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death: 18 intricately detailed dioramas depicting unfortunate dolls in various states of death, created by mother of forensic science Frances Glessner Lee in the 1930s and ‘40s to train crime scene investigators. Every tiny detail necessary to explain the mysterious circumstances of death are contained within the scenes–but, the solutions to these puzzles are kept under lock and key, only available to a select few. One of those lucky few is Bruce Goldfarb, who served as the curator of the Nutshell Studies and is now the official biographer of Frances Glessner Lee. On this episode of the Buzz, Bruce talks with producer Beatrice Lawrence about what makes the dioramas so unique, the genius of Frances Glessner Lee’s meticulous work, and why the studies remain an integral teaching tool for crime scene investigators to this day.
Bruce Goldfarb served as curator for the Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Maryland, and is the official biographer of Frances Glessner Lee. He is the author of “18 Tiny Deaths: The Untold Story of Frances Glessner Lee and the Invention of Modern Forensics,” and “OCME: Life in America’s Top Forensic Medical Center.” He can be found at brucegoldfarb.com/ and on Tik Tok and Instagram.
Photo courtesy of Lorie Shaull via Wikimedia Commons
Follow-up feature: UW-Parkside Makes Forensic Science History
