Mary Ann Cotton

Mary Ann’s gaze is steady and unreadable — not cruel, not kind, just waiting. She stands in silence, dressed in deep black, her expression calm as a closed door. There’s no struggle in her posture, no tension — only patience. The kind that waits as the teacup is lifted, and already knows how the story ends.

Mary Ann Cotton was hanged in 1873, convicted of the suspicious death of her stepson. Yet beneath the surface, many believed her hand reached far beyond, woven through a web of over twenty tragedies—husbands, children, and relatives lost amid the quiet rituals of grief and daily life. She moved unnoticed, mourning with practiced grace while serving the fatal cup herself. Her story haunts not with spectacle, but with the chilling stillness of silence.

No need to rush. No need to chase. She planned—and she poured.