Morbid History
MORBID HISTORY (library show clip)
Lorrisa touches on Resurrectionists (graverobbers) from the 1800s; the electrical experiments on corpses that inspired Mary Shelley; the notorious Burke/Hare murder case; and Chris Baker, an African American pioneer anatomist who “ruled the dissection room” at the Medical College of Virginia from the 1860s until the 1910s.
DESCRIPTION
Originally developed for television, this lighthearted and heartfelt presentation from devoted taphophile (cemetery enthusiast) Lorrisa takes you around the world with spine-tingling true tales and bizarre history that you never learned in history class. No tired or familiar stories allowed—prepare to be surprised!
Stories include:
Grand Corpse Larceny—how St. Mark’s corpse was smuggled into Venice.
Chicago’s Lincoln Park—the massive Victorian cemetery that still delivers “easter eggs” to unsuspecting contractors.
The Resurrectionists who robbed graves for medical school dissections.
The Smithsonian’s mysterious origins and epic collection of human remains.
The inbred Habsburg Royals and their organs, posthumously divided between three crypts.
The medieval Bone Chapel of Sedlac, Czechia, complete with a skull chandelier.
Battling racism in American graveyards.
How the feds turned Robert E. Lee’s estate into Arlington National Cemetery so he’d never want to return.
“Lorrisa was such a pleasure to work with and her Morbid History show was a huge hit with our patrons! She left us all wanting to get out and explore what lies in a cemetery.”
—Kelley McDonnell, Assistant Manager,
Lake County Public Library
What To Expect!
Duration: All presentations are 1 hour, while the art class/demos are up to 2 hours.
Audience: All presentations are designed for ages 10 - seniors. Younger audiences are welcome but will likely be less interested in, for example, the origin story of Arlington National Cemetery.
Tech requirements: Presentations are storytelling/slideshow based and require only your projector, screen (or smart TV), and HDMI input. Presenter brings her MacBookPro laptop and HDMI cable. A table and podium are appreciated but we can bring a substitute if needed. Art instruction requires the library to purchase needed supplies.
When you book, I’ll send you: 1) a contract if your library doesn’t have one they prefer, 2) proof of insurance & business W9, 3) recommended reading list for that presentation, 4) brief description of the presentation for your newsletter/social media, 5) promotional graphics for that specific presentation.
Laughing with “Morbid History” guests at Lake County Public Library’s Merrillville Branch.
