Splatter
For her series My Dark Places, Larson photographed miniature models of crime scenes made in the 1940s by Frances Glessner Lee, a pioneer of forensic investigation. Lee used the models, which she dubbed "Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death," to train future detectives, coroners, and medical examiners in proper investigative techniques. The perspective of Larson’s cinematic photograph recasts the miniature model on the scale of real life, inviting the viewer to construct a narrative from a series of details. The overturned chair, the telephone, and the telltale blood splatter are clues that, through close examination, tell the story of a murder.
Artwork Details
- Title: Splatter
- Artist: Laura Larson (American, born 1965)
- Date: 1999
- Medium: Gelatin silver print
- Dimensions: Image: 5 in. × 3 1/2 in. (12.7 × 8.9 cm)
- Classification: Photographs
- Credit Line: Purchase, Vital Projects Fund Inc. Gift, through Joyce and Robert Menschel, 2015
- Object Number: 2015.58
- Curatorial Department: Photographs
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Laura Larson
1998
Laura Larson
1999
Man Ray
1920
Man Ray
1923
Gordon H. Coster
ca. 1935
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.