Holmes, Sherlock

Photograph of a man dressed as the Arthur Conan Doyle character Sherlock Holmes, with his trademark pipe and deerstalker hat. His silhouette can be seen on a screen behind him.

Fictitious private detective, created by the Scottish writer Arthur Conan Doyle in A Study in Scarlet (1887) and recurring in novels and stories until 1927. Holmes' ability to make inferences from slight clues always astonishes the narrator, Dr Watson.

The criminal mastermind against whom Holmes repeatedly pits his wits is Professor James Moriarty. Holmes is regularly portrayed at his home, 221b Baker Street, London, where he plays the violin and has bouts of determined action interspersed by lethargy and drug-taking. His characteristic pipe and deerstalker hat were the addition of an illustrator.