Science Visualized
How dollhouse crime scenes schooled 1940s cops
Frances Glessner Lee’s dioramas helped bring a scientific approach to forensic science
DOLLHOUSE CSI This miniature portrayal of Maggie Wilson’s death in 1896 is the handiwork of self-taught criminologist Frances Glessner Lee. Lee’s dioramas trained investigators to look at crime scenes through a scientific lens.
Bruce Goldfarb/Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Maryland
In November 1896, Lizzie Miller stumbled upon a shocking sight: The discolored body of her neighbor Maggie Wilson half-submerged in a bathtub, legs precariously dangling over the side. How did she die and who killed her?
