Some exhibits honor the heights of human history. Others celebrate beautiful creations men and women from around the world create. The current special attraction at the Museum of London explores the darker side of human nature.
Now underway, The Crime Museum Uncovered features the first ever assemblage of artifacts from the London Metropolitan Police Crime Museum (also known as The Black Museum).
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The exhibition includes two centuries worth of macabre and often gruesome items from the police vaults. There are no re-creations or replicas. The objects were actually used in a crime, applied in solving a crime or directly connected to criminals or police.
The presentation is organized in historical order, including the age when England still hanged its serious offenders. Multiple cast death masks mark the final expressions of murderers who met their end at the end of a rope. Displays move through the ages from serial killer Dr Crippen to the reign of Kray Brothers, from the Great Train Robbery to the terrorist Underground attacks of 7/7.
The Metropolitan Police Service assisted in the curating and presentation of the exhibit, so it never surrenders to exploitation or sensationalism. As much as documentation many of the UK’s most famous criminals, the exhibit explores how solving crimes evolved into the 21st century.
Scheduled to close on April 10th, any visitor has to wonder if the minds behind the museum might look for ways to extend the exhibit’s run. It was a packed house on the afternoon this reporter visited. The flow of the morbidly fascinated is closely monitored to manage the constant crowd eager to get inside and see the wages of sin.
With business booming, it might be wise to keep the criminal classes employed in gallery work because crime seems to be paying well for the Museum of London. You can see why in the gallery below.
All photos by John Scott Lewinski, courtesy of the Museum of London.
The Crime Museum Uncovered
'The Crime Museum Uncovered' at The Museum of London features the first ever collection of artifacts from the London Metropolitan Police vaults.
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The Crime Museum Uncovered Artifacts
"The Crime Museum Uncovered" features the actual death masks of men and women hanged for their crimes before capital punishment was outlawed in England.
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The Crime Museum Uncovered Artifacts
The exhibits of "The Crime Museum Uncovered" document both the work of criminals and the case files used to catch them.
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The Crime Museum Uncovered Artifacts
"The Crime Museum Uncovered" smokes out a collection of elaborate drug paraphernalia.
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The Crime Museum Uncovered Artifacts
The murder weapons featured at "The Crime Museum Uncovered" include a simple scarf.
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The Crime Museum Uncovered Artifacts
"The Crime Museum Uncovered" grimly examines the act of abortion before it was made legal in England.
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The Crime Museum Uncovered Artifacts
Crimes from simple murder to more elaborate assassination are under scrutiny at "The Crime Museum Uncovered"
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The Crime Museum Uncovered Artifacts
The notorious Kray Brothers enjoyed creative murder techniques, including this crossbow on display at "The Crime Museum Uncovered."
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The Crime Museum Uncovered Artifacts
The exploration of forgery and counterfeiting at "The Crime Museum Uncovered" includes this money printing kit.
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The Crime Museum Uncovered Artifacts
"The Crime Museum Uncovered" asks which of these guns is real and which are fake — though all were used in crimes.
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The Crime Museum Uncovered Artifacts
The London Metropolitan Police used this facial features kit on display at "The Crime Museum Uncovered" to determine the appearance of a suspect without need of a sketch artist.
