Fall River Public Library- A Visual Feast
In the heart of the city, at 104 North Main Street, which is a comfortable sprint from #92 Second Street, there is a treasure trove of information on the Borden case and city history. The current Fall River Public Library, built in 1899, is a spectacular edifice architecturally as well as being a vast repository for Fall River history resources and Borden case references. “The Lizzie Borden Collection consists of biographies, nonfiction accounts of the murders and trial, fictionalized retellings of the story, plays, bibliographies, newspaper articles and magazines dealing with Lizzie Borden, her trial, and the Borden murders”. An impressive collection of work by Fall River School artists adorns the walls, featuring the work of Frank Miller, Robert S. Dunning and a schoolmate of Lizzie’s, Mary Lizzie Macomber (1861-1916) . Miss Macomber was a student of Mr. Dunning who is most celebrated for his still lifes of fruit. Mary Macomber went on to become a premiere female artist of the pre-Raphaelite school and is famous for her paintings of beautiful women which are laden with symbolism. Her paintings hang on the second floor gallery and include Angel, Memory Comforting Sorrow and the haunting Marconi, inspired by the sinking of the Titanic. The magnificent main entry off North Main Street is also lavishly embellished with the work of Cremonini, who also painted the interior of Fall River’s Notre Dame, which burned several decades ago. Whether for reference materials on the case, or for the love of great artwork- a visit to the Fall River Public Library is a must.
