If you’ve never been inside the imposing Greco-Roman columned entryway of the Karpeles Manuscript Museum, it makes for a fun free dip into bits of history you probably never knew. This summer, you can learn about the connection between Scottish writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who created Sherlock Holmes, and the great magician and escape artist Harry Houdini.
The museum – which stands across the street from the Seymour Conservatory in Tacoma’s Wright Park – is one of 11 around the country housing the largest private historic manuscript collection in the world, which belongs to California real estate magnate David Karpeles. Exhibits rotate every three months or so between the museums, and on view this summer in Tacoma is “Arthur Conan Doyle, Houdini and Spiritualism.” Doyle and Houdini were, in fact, friends, both fascinated by the spiritualism fashion of the day and trying to contact departed loved ones through séances. On view in the exhibit is a paper record of a séance, the contact box used, and several letters from Houdini asking for a job.
Visit the museum from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays at Karpeles Manuscript Museum, 407 S. G St., Tacoma. Admission is always free. For more details, call 253-383-2575 or go to rain.org/~karpeles.
Rosemary Ponnekanti rosemary.ponnekanti@thenewstribune.com 253-597-8568 blog.thenewstribune.com/arts
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