Bertha Boronda (née Zettle; 1877–1950) became nationally known following her 1907 conviction for mayhem after she used a straight razor to sever her husband’s genitals while he slept. At trial, Boronda stated that she had seen her husband in the company of a prostitute and acted as a result of that discovery. The case drew intense media attention, with newspapers focusing on the shock of the act itself, reducing Boronda to a spectacle rather than examining her as an individual.
This portrait is part of Women, Reimagined, a series that revisits women whose identities are preserved primarily through sensationalized or incomplete historical records. Rather than reenacting the event, the work approaches Boronda through abstraction. Roses and shears are woven into the composition, referencing domestic ideals, betrayal, and rupture, while a hidden image embedded in the painting points to the aspects of her story that remain obscured. The work shifts focus away from notoriety and toward presence, complexity, and the limits of what the historical archive allows us to understand.
25 hand-signed, numbered, limited-edition archival prints available
18×24 inch wall size on 100% cotton cold-press watercolor paper
Designed to last 100+ years with proper care
Includes certificate of authenticity
Once sold out, the edition will never be reprinted
Please allow 10-14 business days for your art to be shipped. Art comes unframed so you can pick the perfect frame for your space.
Bertha Boronda (née Zettle; 1877–1950) became nationally known following her 1907 conviction for mayhem after she used a straight razor to sever her husband’s genitals while he slept. At trial, Boronda stated that she had seen her husband in the company of a prostitute and acted as a result of that discovery. The case drew intense media attention, with newspapers focusing on the shock of the act itself, reducing Boronda to a spectacle rather than examining her as an individual.
This portrait is part of Women, Reimagined, a series that revisits women whose identities are preserved primarily through sensationalized or incomplete historical records. Rather than reenacting the event, the work approaches Boronda through abstraction. Roses and shears are woven into the composition, referencing domestic ideals, betrayal, and rupture, while a hidden image embedded in the painting points to the aspects of her story that remain obscured. The work shifts focus away from notoriety and toward presence, complexity, and the limits of what the historical archive allows us to understand.
25 hand-signed, numbered, limited-edition archival prints available
18×24 inch wall size on 100% cotton cold-press watercolor paper
Designed to last 100+ years with proper care
Includes certificate of authenticity
Once sold out, the edition will never be reprinted
Please allow 10-14 business days for your art to be shipped. Art comes unframed so you can pick the perfect frame for your space.
