Aset of 12 Lizzie Borden crime scene photographs have been sold for a whopping $12,500.
The prints, dating back to the time of the infamous 1892 murders in Fall River, Massachusetts, were acquired by DeWolfe & Wood Rare Books of Maine from a private collector in New Jersey.
The gruesome images, taken by James A. Walsh, depict scenes of Andrew Borden slumped on a couch, Abby Borden sprawled on a bedroom floor and exteriors of the Second Street murder house.
The photos themselves are commonly known, according to Scott DeWolfe ofDeWolfe & Wood Rare Books, who added that the rare images are especially known to true-crime enthusiasts and those familiar with the centuries-old Borden case.
The high-priced images however are not just photographs, but tangible connections to one of America's most perplexing criminal cases.
The Borden's mystifying case possesses an immense historical significance, offering a haunting glimpse into a mystery that has captivated the public's imagination for over a century.
DeWolfe said the images spent the last three decades in the possession of an elderly collector in New Jersey before selling this week at the 65th annual New York International Antiquarian Book Fair.
The rare books aficionado said he obtained original images from the passionate collector in New Jersey, adding that the elderly collector had a love for acquiring items related to American crime history.
A set of 12 Lizzie Borden crime scene photographs was sold at the 65th annual New York International Antiquarian Book Fair for a whopping $12,500
The prints, dating back to the time of the infamous 1892 murders in Fall River, Massachusetts, were acquired by DeWolfe & Wood Rare Books of Maine from a private collector in New Jersey
The collector, who DeWolfe declined to name, began as a teenager, amassing a significant collection spanning from the 1600s in England to the 20th century.
'As a teenager he started to collect stuff related to American crime and also things like magic and a few other areas. He amassed this huge collection,' DeWolfe said.
'He ended up building one of the best collections of American and British crime material going from the 1600s in England into the 20th century.'
Michael Martins, curator of the Fall River Historical Society, noted that multiple sets of these images were printed around the time of the murders and distributed to those involved in the case.
'There were multiple sets of these images printed... contemporaneous to the period. They were distributed amongst people involved in the case in some manner,' Martins told The Herald News.
However, original copies remain exceedingly rare, making the acquisition particularly noteworthy.
'I do know of at least two families that have original images, and they're directly descended from principles involved in the case,' Martins said.
'And I have reference to a third set that I have never seen - but I know that these, sometime in the 1970s or '80s, were with a family in New Bedford.'
The gruesome images, taken by James A. Walsh, depict scenes of Andrew Borden slumped on a couch, Abby Borden sprawled on a bedroom floor and exteriors of the Second Street murder house
Borden was deemed innocent after a lengthy trial, and this murder case is one of the most famous in American criminal history
The DeWolfeset of Borden photos comes enclosed in two red slipcovers custom-made to hold the rare finds.
The unnamed collector originally purchased seven of the photos at auction from New York's prestigious Swann Galleriesin April 1992.
A catalogue listing from the time describes them as 'the official photographs prepared by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the prosecution of its case against Lizzie Borden,' likely albumen-processed prints, and signed 'Walsh Photo' -for James A. Walsh, the original photographer.
As pieces of evidence in one of the world's most notorious unsolved crimes, the prints have incredible historical value.
'These photos were something that he really prized, and he decided that we should find a home for them,' DeWolfe said.
The sale has reignited public interest in the Borden case, prompting discussions about the ethical considerations of owning and displaying such graphic historical artifacts.
The axe - or rather, hatcher - murder that made Lizzie famous occurred on the morning of August 4, 1892.
Lizzie, then 32, alerted the maid when she found her father Andrew's dead body. He had been hacked to death in the parlor while sleeping on the sofa.
Lizzie Borden was put on trial for the brutal murder of her father and stepmother in 1892
The handle-less hatchet believed to be the murder weapon is shown on display at the Fall River Historical Society
A contemporary drawing of Lizzie Borden at her trial with her defense lawyer George D. Robinson
Abby Borden's body was discovered soon after in an upstairs bedroom. Investigators determined that Abby was killed first.
Policemen called to the scene suspected Lizzie immediately but did not arrest her until a week later.
During the week between the murders and her arrest, Lizzie's story changed several times.
The Sunday School teacher burned a dress that she claimed was stained with paint after household work.
Prosecutors alleged that the dress was stained with blood, and that Lizzie had burned the dress in order to cover up her crime.
She had also unsuccessfully attempted to purchase prussic acid, a highly poisonous liquid, in the days before the murders.
At the time there were rumors that the couple were killed because of Andrew's shady business dealings.
People also believed that Lizzie committed the murders because her father was so frugal that she and her sister, both considered spinsters by that point, didn't even have access to indoor plumbing.
Andrew and Abby Borden were murdered and mutilated with a hatchet on the morning of August 4, 1892. Their deaths remain a mystery to this day
Lizzie's trial was described as a circus. The prosecution even presented the hatchet-crushed skulls of Abby and Andrew in the courtroom.
Children even came up with a jump-rope rhyme that said it took 40 strokes to kill Abby and 41 to kill Andrew.
The home where the murder occurred has been turned into a bed and breakfast where murder-mystery buffs can sleep in the room where Lizzie grew up.
Maplecroft, the home where Lizzie Borden lived after she was acquitted, sat just minutes away from the home where the murders occurred. It was built in 1889 by Charles Allen.
While many homes of this size in the area have been split up into multiple-family dwellings, Maplecroft has stayed in tact and now operates as a guesthouse.
