In the 1940s, Chicago criminologist Frances Glessner Lee constructed a series of miniature crime scene models intended for training purposes. The level of detail (and the fact that they are modeled on actual crime scenes) inspired photographer Corinne Botz to examine the models over half a century later in her series, The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death (spotted via Feature Shoot). Botz’s project, on which she spent seven years, examines feminist themes. “Interestingly, she advanced in a male dominated field by co-opting the feminine tradition of miniatures,” Botz writes of Lee’s career. “The models undermine the notion of the home as a safe haven and reveal it to be a far more complex sphere. All of the models depict lower middle class interiors, and the majority of victims are women who suffered violent deaths in the home.” Click through a sampling of Botz’s photographs after the jump.
Image credit: Corinne Botz
Image credit: Corinne Botz
Image credit: Corinne Botz
Image credit: Corinne Botz
Image credit: Corinne Botz
Image credit: Corinne Botz
Image credit: Corinne Botz
Image credit: Corinne Botz
Image credit: Corinne Botz
Image credit: Corinne Botz