Kenosha Public Museum – Kenosha, WI

Okay, you’ll have to forgive me. This isn’t in Chicagoland but it was a very cool exhibit all about the development of the mystery/crime genre as told through art and only an hour or so away from the city!
Looking for a mini-adventure we jumped in the car and headed north to Kenosha, the first larger city over the border. The first place we went to was the Kenosha Public Museum. We knew nothing about it but it was free and that’s about our budget these days. On the second floor we stumbled onto this exhibit, where we were the only people there.

Running until January 12, 2020, The History of Mystery exhibit was fascinating. Honestly, the best part of so many of the old pulp novels is their artwork, which was featured prominently. (Personally I love Nick Carter and The Shadow from growing up listening to the old radio shows).


The whole thing covers the genre from 1820-1970 and has any number of great pieces. Even if you’re not a huge mystery fan it’s worth checking out if you happen to be in the area.

Leave a Reply