The brainchild of Anthony R. Vizzari, this home-based museum features photos of the dearly departed. The images cater to a memorial custom/ritual that began in the 1800s, formal death portraits that were created to remember loved ones. Viewing by appointment only; located on Damen and Augusta Avenues, mourningphotography.com. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
Everyone has heard of the big names in the field, including the Field Museum, the Museum of Science and Industry, as well as the Chicago History Museum. But what about the quirkier ones? Rest assured, we have those too. Enjoy!
This museum concerns itself with the Greek homeland -- and its formative influence on Western culture. 333 S. Halsted; nationalhellenicmuseum.org (Alex Garcia / Chicago Tribune)
An outgrowth of the button-making company Christen Carter started with her brother, this museum, in the factory building, is devoted to more than a century’s worth of pinback buttons. The museum has on display thousands that serve as advertising and marketing vehicles. While the collection does include some truly historic buttons (an 1864 pre-button for Abraham Lincoln), the emphasis is less on value and more on how well the button represents a moment in time. 3279 W. Armitage Ave.; buttonmuseum.org (Heather Charles/Chicago Tribune)
Education, celebration, and interpretation of culture is the focus of this institution. Located in an area whose Swedish roots date back to the nineteenth century, the museum features a gallery with special art exhibits, The Brunk Children’s Museum of Immigration, library, and genealogy center. 5211 N. Clark St.; swedishamericanmuseum.org. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)
This niche museum houses a library, exhibits, and archives pertaining to leather, fetishism, sadomasochism, and alternative sexual practices. Items here include original art and artifacts from alternative sex organizations and individuals along with unpublished papers and records from notable activists, artists, businesses and organizations related to the subject matter. Here, Joseph W. Bean, executive director of the Leather Archives and Museum, holds a bouquet of colored leather flowers in front of a poster advertising a past leather event in 2000. 6418 N. Greenview Ave., Chicago; leatherarchives.org (Alex Garcia / Chicago Tribune)