History UsefulNotes / LizzieBorden

What we do know is that in [[TheGayNineties the late 19th century]], Lizzie Andrews Borden (July 19, 1860 – June 1, 1927) was a grown woman living in Fall River, Massachusetts with her father Andrew, her stepmother Abby, and her elder sister Emma. Andrew was a successful banker, but he lived well below his means. Normally, a woman of Lizzie's age and class [[ChristmasCake would have been married]], but her father's [[TheScrooge miserly ways]] stifled her social life and severely limited her marriage prospects. Lizzie also had a difficult relationship with Abby, whom she regarded as something of a WickedStepmother and would only refer to as "Mrs. Borden".

-->'Cause you can't chop your Poppa up in Massachusetts\\

You know how neighbors love to criticize

Over the years, Lizzie Borden has become ShroudedInMyth and has been featured in various works of media. In fiction, she's usually portrayed as being guilty. In more pulpy or comedic works, she's typically a CardCarryingVillain, an over-the-top Halloween character with her trusty hatchet ever-ready for a new murder spree. In more serious depictions, she tends to be played as a SympatheticMurderer, which necessarily involves portraying Andrew and Abby as AbusiveParents who [[PayEvilUntoEvil deserved it]]. There are also various fantasy works that put a BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy spin on Lizzie's story, often providing a supernatural justification for her actions, effectively side-stepping the real-life issues of the case. Whatever the truth is, there is certainly no shortage of theories.

* Folk-singing group the Chad Mitchell Trio had a minor hit in 1961 with their song "Lizzie Borden", which puts something of a BlackComedy spin on the story.

A common trope in fictional depictions is to portray Lizzie as having committed the murders [[FullFrontalAssault in the nude]] so that she wouldn't get incriminating blood stains on her clothes. Incidentally, the real Lizzie is known to have burned one of her dresses shortly after the murders. At her trial, she claimed that she burned the dress because it was stained with paint, but the prosecution obviously suspected that it was stained with something else. You'd think that if you were going to portray Lizzie as guilty, you'd just go with the prosecution's actual story, but fiction clearly prefers the explanation that involves nudity because of course it does. Not only does it [[SexSells promise to draw in more viewers]], it's something that can be [[RuleOfSymbolism played for all kinds of symbolism]]. Plus, it makes the story that much more lurid.\\\

A common trope in fictional depictions is to portray Lizzie as having committed the murders [[FullFrontalAssault in the nude]] so that she wouldn't get incriminating blood stains on her clothes. Incidentally, the real Lizzie is known to have burned one of her dresses shortly after the murders. At her trial, she claimed that she burned the dress because it was stained with paint, but the prosecution obviously suspected that it was stained with something else. You'd think that if you were going to portray Lizzie as guilty, you'd just go with the prosecution's actual story, but fiction clearly prefers the explanation that involves nudity because of course it does. Not only does it [[SexSells promise to draw in more viewers]], it's something that can be [[RuleOfSymbolism played for all kinds of symbolism]]. Plus, it makes the story that much more lurid.

->''Close the door!\\
Lock it! Latch it!\\
Here come Lizzie, with a brand-new hatchet!''

In [[TheGayNineties the late 19th century]], Lizzie Andrew Borden (July 19, 1860 – June 1, 1927) was a grown woman living with her father Andrew, her stepmother Abby, and her elder sister Emma in Fall River, Massachusetts. Andrew was a successful banker, but he lived well below his means. Normally, a woman of Lizzie's age and class [[ChristmasCake would have been married]], but her father's [[TheScrooge miserly ways]] stifled her social life and severely limited her marriage prospects. Lizzie also had a rather difficult relationship with Abby, whom she regarded as a WickedStepmother and would only refer to as "Mrs. Borden".

[[quoteright:240:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lizzie-borden_6346.jpg]]
->''Lizzie Borden took an axe\\

Gave her father forty-one''

You've probably heard this schoolyard rhyme at some point in your life. Actually, Lizzie Borden's (step)mother was hacked nineteen times and her father eleven. Also, Lizzie was acquitted of murdering her parents, but ConvictedByPublicOpinion. And the murder weapon was probably a hatchet rather than an axe. [[ByNoIMeanYes Other than that]], the rhyme is very accurate. [[CassandraTruth Or probably not]]. [[TheUnsolvedMystery We'll never know]].

In [[TheGayNineties the late 19th century]], Lizzie Andrew Borden (July 19, 1860 – June 1, 1927) was a grown woman living with her elder sister Emma, her father Andrew, and her stepmother Abby in Fall River, Massachusetts. Andrew was a successful banker, but lived well below his means. Normally, a woman of Lizzie's age and class [[ChristmasCake would be married by now]], but her father's [[TheScrooge miserly ways]] stifled her social life and severely limited her marriage prospects. Lizzie also had a difficult relationship with Abby, whom she regarded as a WickedStepmother and would only refer to as "Mrs. Borden".

You've probably heard this schoolyard rhyme at some point in your life. Actually, Lizzie Borden's (step)mother was hacked nineteen times and her father eleven. Also, she was acquitted of murdering her parents, but ConvictedByPublicOpinion. And the murder weapon was probably a hatchet rather than an axe. [[ByNoIMeanYes Other than that]], the rhyme is very accurate. [[CassandraTruth Or probably not]]. [[TheUnsolvedMystery We'll never know]].

You've probably heard this schoolyard rhyme at some point in your life. Actually, Lizzie Borden's (step)mother was hacked nineteen times and her father eleven. Also, Lizzie was acquitted of murdering her parents, but ConvictedByPublicOpinion. And the murder weapon was probably a hatchet rather than an axe. [[ByNoIMeanYes Other than that]], the rhyme is very accurate. [[CassandraTruth Or probably not]]. [[TheUnsolvedMystery We'll never know]].

You've probably heard this schoolyard rhyme at some point in your life. Actually, Lizzie Borden's (step)mother was hacked nineteen times and her father eleven. Also, Lizzie was acquitted of murdering her parents, but ConvictedByPublicOpinion. And the murder weapon was probably a hatchet rather than an axe. [[ByNoIMeanYes Other than that]], the rhyme is very accurate.

** The episode "Cape Feare" has a gag where Martin Prince is going to play Lizzie in a SchoolPlay about the story. [[TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior These children are ten]].

[[AC: {{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]

[[AC: ComicBooks]]
* A storyline in ''[[Comicbook/TheAvengers Avengers West Coast]]'' #98-100 (September-November, 1993), features an ArchivedArmy scenario. Lizzie serves as an agent of the [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Hell Lord]] Satannish. Codenamed "Axe of Violence", she has [[AmazingTechnicolorPopulation light red skin]], her [[ArtificialLimbs right hand is replaced by a double-headed axe]], and she carries [[AnAxeToGrind two other double-headed axes used as throwing weapons]].

[[AC: FanWorks]]

[[AC: {{Film}}]]

* ''The Curse of Lizzie Borden'', a 2006 low-budget SlasherMovie in which a modern-day woman is [[DemonicPossession possessed by the spirit of Lizzie Borden]]. Two years later, it was followed by ''The Curse of Lizzie Borden 2: Prom Night''.

* ''Lizzie Borden Took An Ax'', a 2014 TV movie starring Creator/ChristinaRicci as Lizzie Borden. In 2015, it was followed by ''The Lizzie Borden Chronicles'', a MiniSeries also starring Ricci.
* ''Film/{{Lizzie}}'', a 2018 psychological thriller starring Creator/ChloeSevigny as Lizzie Borden and Creator/KristenStewart as the family's maid Bridget Sullivan, noteworthy for portraying them as a lesbian couple.

[[AC: {{Literature}}]]

* "Lizzie Borden Took an Ax" is the title of a Creator/RobertBloch story about the case.

* Lizzie is referenced in ''Literature/AndThenThereWereNone'', though not by name -- however, it is unmistakably her crime that gets mentioned by one of the characters, seeing as it's described as a young American woman hacking her father and stepmother to death with a hatchet.
* The novel ''Literature/SeeWhatIHaveDone'' by Sarah Schmidt focuses on the Bordens, displaying Lizzie as somewhat emotionally stunted and weird, but not evil.

[[AC: LiveActionTV]]

* She has been profiled in a segment of the Creator/InvestigationDiscovery series ''Deadly Women'', which has the decency to acknowledge her acquittal and the doubts about her guilt.
* She's also the subject of an episode of ''Series/TheDeadFiles''.

* In a crossover episode of ''Series/AllyMcBeal'' and ''Series/ThePractice'', the defendant is a woman accused of killing her husband. Her psychiatrist testified that, under hypnosis, she claimed to be the reincarnation of Lizzie Borden. Many times during the crossover, the lawyers discuss reincarnation and the details of Lizzie's life and her own trial. [[spoiler:In the end, it turns out that it was the psychiatrist who committed the murder, having fallen in love with his patient. He may have even planted the idea in her head that she was Lizzie in a past life so that she'd think she was the murderer.]]

[[AC: {{Theater}}]]
* In ''Theatre/TheManWhoCameToDinner'', Mr. Stanley's sister [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed isn't]] Lizzie Borden.

* There's a rock musical called ''{{Theatre/Lizzie}}'' which features an all-female cast -- Lizzie, her sister Emma, the housekeeper Bridget (nicknamed "Maggie"), and the neighbor, Alice. Here, Lizzie is portrayed as a WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds; she's a closeted lesbian in a world that will never accept that, more than a little mentally unstable, and is being sexually abused by her father to boot. Alice is also portrayed as harboring a childhood crush for Lizzie.

[[AC: {{Toys}}]]

[[AC: VideoGames]]

[[AC: WebAnimation]]

[[AC: WesternAnimation]]

** Appears among the Jury of the Damned in ''[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS5E5TreehouseOfHorrorIV Treehouse Of Horror IV]]'' to judge the Devil obtaining Homer's soul for a donut.

* In ''{{WesternAnimation/Histeria}}'', she is portrayed as AxCrazy and refers to herself as the "[[Creator/OJSimpson O.J.]] of 1892".
-->''[[VerbalTic Whack'em!]]''
* Lizzie Borden is among the wax figures in the ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' episode "Head-Hunters". [[spoiler: Ironically, she wasn't the one to attempt ax-murder.]]

* Lizzie Borden appears in ''WesternAnimation/TimeSquad'' as part of a LegionOfDoom formed by Alfred Nobel in the episode ''Nobel Peace Surprise''. She is once again very inaccurately portrayed as a CardCarryingVillain who does things ForTheEvulz. The other members of the crew were Black Bart, UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper, Rasputin, and Mrs. O'Leary's cow.

For what it's worth, neither Lizzie, nor Emma, ever committed another crime on that level. After the trial, she and her sister moved in together and Lizzie became close to the theater scene. Thanks to their substantial inheritance, Lizzie, now going by Lizbeth, would frequently patron various actresses. This, plus the fact neither sister ever married, led some scholars to believe both were lesbians, though there was never any [[AmbiguouslyGay solid evidence of that.]] Sadly, in 1905 the two had a falling out during a party Lizzie threw for actress Nance O'Neil and Emma moved away, never to see her sister again. In 1927, both sisters died, only nine days apart.

** Lily Gamboll, one of the four "tragic women of murder" who could be connected to the death of Mrs [=McGinty=] in ''Mrs [=McGinty=]'s Dead'' appears to be loosely inspired by Lizzie Borden, except she killed her aunt with a cleaver. (The others may also be based on historic figures, one seems to be based on Ethel Neave, the other woman in the Dr Crippen case.)

* A novel ''Literature/SeeWhatIHaveDone'' by Sarah Schmidt focuses on the Bordens, displaying Lizzie as somewhat emotionally stunted and weird, but not evil.

* There's a rock musical called ''{{Theatre/Lizzie}}'' which features an all-female cast -- Lizzie, her sister Emma, the housekeeper Bridget (nicknamed "Maggie"), and the neighbor, Alice. Here, Lizzie is portrayed as a WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds; she's a closeted lesbian in a world that will never accept that, more than a little mentally unstable, and is being sexually abused by her father, to boot. Alice is also portrayed as harboring a childhood crush for Lizzie.

* Lizzie Borden is among the wax figures in ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' episode "Head-Hunters". [[spoiler: Ironically, she wasn't the one to attempt ax-murder.]]

* Lizzie Borden appears in ''WesternAnimation/TimeSquad'' as part of a LegionOfDoom formed by Alfred Nobel in the episode ''Nobel Peace Surprise''. She is once again very inaccurately portrayed as a CardCarryingVillain who does things ForTheEvulz. The other members of the crew were Black Bart, UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper, Rasputin, and Mrs. O'Leary's cow.

* ''Film{{Lizzie}}'', a 2018 psychological thriller starring Creator/ChloeSevigny as Lizzie Borden and Creator/KristenStewart as the family's maid Bridget Sullivan, noteworthy for portraying them as a lesbian couple.

* ''Lizzie'', a 2018 psychological thriller starring Creator/ChloeSevigny as Lizzie Borden and Creator/KristenStewart as the family's maid Bridget Sullivan, noteworthy for portraying them as a lesbian couple.

SelfMadeOrphan Gave her mother forty whacks\\

->''[[AxCrazy Lizzie Borden took an axe]]\\
[[SelfMadeOrphan Gave her mother forty whacks]]\\

And [[SelfMadeOrphan gave her mother forty whacks]]\\

She gave her father forty-one''

* ''The Legend of Lizzie Borden'', a 1975 MadeForTVMovie in which Lizzie is played by Creator/ElizabethMontgomery. It's the first notable work to posit that she committed the murders in the nude, [[LostInImitation which would be copied by many later adaptations]]. Incidentally, Elizabeth Montgomery and Lizzie Borden are sixth cousins once removed (but Elizabeth didn't know this and it was only discovered after her death).

* Season 4 of ''{{Series/Angel}}'' references the case - when Jasmine [[spoiler: possessing Cordelia]] commits a murder, they wonder why they found no bloody clothes. Wesley exclaims "Lizzie Borden", and they theorise the murderer must have done so naked.

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBros'' makes reference to [[ThoseTwoGuys #21 and #24]] having [[SeinfeldianConversation an argument]] over who would win in a fight between Lizzie Borden and Helen Keller.

* Her compact mirror shows up in ''Series/Warehouse13''. It's an ArtifactOfDoom that forces whoever looks into it to murder their loved ones with an [[{{Hammerspace}} appears out of nowhere]] while also reciting a limerick of what Lizzie did.

A common trope in fictional depictions is to portray Lizzie as having committed the murders [[FullFrontalAssault in the nude]], thus explaining why no bloody clothes were ever found. Incidentally, the real Lizzie is known to have burned one of her dresses shortly after the murders. At her trial, she claimed that she burned the dress because it was stained with paint, but the prosecution obviously suspected that it was stained with something else. You'd think that if you were going to portray Lizzie as guilty, you'd just go with the prosecution's actual story, but fiction clearly prefers the explanation that involves nudity because of course it does. Not only does it [[SexSells promise to draw in more viewers]], it's something that can be [[RuleOfSymbolism played for all kinds of symbolism]]. Plus, it makes the story that much more lurid.

A common trope in fictional depictions is to portray Lizzie as having committed the murders [[FullFrontalAssault in the nude]], thus explaining why no bloody clothes were ever found. It's much easier to clean blood off of skin than clothing, after all. Incidentally, the real Lizzie is known to have burned one of her dresses shortly after the murders. At her trial, she claimed that she burned the dress because it was stained with paint, but the prosecution obviously suspected that it was stained with something else. You'd think that if you were going to portray Lizzie as guilty, you'd just go with the prosecution's actual story, but fiction clearly prefers the explanation that involves nudity because of course it does. Not only does it [[SexSells promise to draw in more viewers]], it's something that can be [[RuleOfSymbolism played for all kinds of symbolism]]. Plus, it makes the story that much more lurid.

A common trope in fictional depictions is to portray Lizzie as having committed the murders [[FullFrontalAssault in the nude]], thus explaining why no bloody clothes were ever found. It's much easier to clean blood off of skin than clothing, after all. Incidentally, the real Lizzie is known to have burned one of her dresses shortly after the murders. At her trial, she claimed that she burned the dress because it was stained with paint, but the prosecution obviously suspected that it was stained with something else. You'd think that if you were going to portray Lizzie as guilty, you'd just go with the prosecution's actual story, but fiction clearly prefers the explanation that involves nudity because of course it does. Not only does it [[SexSells promise to draw in more viewers]], it's something that can be played for all kinds of symbolism. Plus, it makes the story that much more lurid.

* ''The Legend of Lizzie Borden'', a 1975 MadeForTVMovie in which Lizzie is played by Creator/ElizabethMontgomery. It's the first notable work to posit that she committed the murders in the nude, [[LostInImitation which would be copied by later adaptations]]. Incidentally, Elizabeth Montgomery and Lizzie Borden are sixth cousins once removed (but Elizabeth didn't know this and it was only discovered after her death).

* ''The Legend of Lizzie Borden'', a 1975 MadeForTVMovie in which Lizzie is played by Creator/ElizabethMontgomery. It's most famous for positing that she committed the murders [[FullFrontalAssault in the nude]], explaining why no bloody clothing was found[[note]]There is some indication the actual Borden burned some of her clothing, which might have borne bloodstains.[[/note]] and [[SexSells presumably drawing in more viewers]]. This detail would also feature in many later adaptations of the story. Incidentally, Elizabeth Montgomery and Lizzie Borden are sixth cousins once removed (but Elizabeth didn't know this and it was only discovered after her death).

* In ''{{WesternAnimation/Histeria}}'', she is portrayed as AxCrazy and refers to herself as the "O.J. of 1892".