Sherlock Holmes is being showcased in a major
exhibition to be staged at the Museum of London this coming October reports the BBC, the first
time since the Festival of Britain in 1951 that the famous detective has been
showcased in this way.
We sometimes need to be reminded that Holmes is a
fictional character, so real and professional have been the interpretations of
the actors who have played him over the years. He was created in the mind of
the Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and first appeared in
the Strand magazine over 125 years ago.
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| One of the most famous literary characters ever created |
Although he never existed, the Museum is calling
him one of London’s most “iconic” figures and heart and soul is being put into
the preparation of the exhibition. Holmes was once quoted as saying that "The
air of London is the sweeter for my presence"
Curator Alex Werner said: "Sherlock Holmes was
an incredibly, powerful, cultural, London icon. The main challenge was anything
you select [for this exhibition] has nothing to do with Sherlock Holmes because
he is a character, but on the other hand it has everything to do with him. Take
the pipe. It's a minor object, but put it next to Sherlock Holmes it takes on a
real life and we can draw on fantastic objects from around the world to tell
the story of London."
The exhibition intends using Holmes as a
"prism" to take a peek at the city itself, and to have a closer look at the character's
analytical mind, forensic science of the time, his Bohemian nature crossed with
what being an English gentlemen meant in Victorian England.
It will also look at what possibly prompted the
creation of the character, with the original pages from Edgar Allan Poe's
hand-written manuscript The Murders in the Rue Morgue (1841) among the items
that will be on display.
Considered by many to be the first detective story,
Conan Doyle is known to have read it and the detective character C. Auguste
Dupin was said to be one of his "boyhood heroes".
Strangely, he had initially intended Holmes to be a
minor character in his own literary work, and hoped that people would be
enthralled with his novels, plays and poetry. However, it was the detective who attracted the crowds,
initially through The Strand magazine, which had a weekly audience of about
half a million people. He later completed 56 novels about the character.
Original drawings by Sidney Paget, who illustrated
the stories in the magazine, feature in the exhibition alongside an oil
painting of the author scribbling in his "ideas book".
Dr Pat Hardy the curator for paintings and prints
has worked on the exhibition selecting images which represent Holmes' London. Dr
Hardy said: "The urban landscape that was inhabited by that very famous
character conveys an idea of London at the turn of the century - a very modern
city - a large imperial network with efficient communication and transport
networks.
"We have recreated the ideas of these journeys
by some of the artwork. He's always
rattling up Holborn to get to King's Cross in the hansom cabs. Sherlock Holmes
is a presence both seen and unseen in this city."
The idea for the show came from the success of the
museum's pervious London "icon" shows on Jack the Ripper and Charles
Dickens, but the fact that this is the first attempt at a fictional character
makes things a little different.
Project manager Annette Day said: "It's been
two years since we first had the idea, Dickens had proved very popular and we
thought about how literature can help us understand the city. We really grasped
the challenge and had to be really creative with the way we use and look at the
objects."
Amongst the items on display will be an authentic
collapsible top-hat which has been x-rayed so that people can see how it works,
which Ms Day said mimics the "details and deductions" of Holmes. There
is also a collection of shoes which Sherlock would have looked at and
been able to deduce if the owners walked with a limp or not.
The exhibition also dedicates space to the
character's life on stage and in film, including the Derek Rose camel dressing
gown Benedict Cumberbatch wore in the BBC's most recent series of Sherlock.
The performances of actors gone by, including
William Gillette, who was performing the character while Conan Doyle was still
writing, and Jeremy Brett are also considered to see if they offer clues as to
why Holmes has endured 125 years, being reinvented by every generation.
Mr Werner said: "The closest person to compare
him with are the comic book heroes of the 20th Century, they've been revived
and refreshed. Sherlock Holmes was a man of action and so he's a bit like a
Batman, but earlier. He is one of London's icons, he helped to make London the
way it is. He is the most famous Londoner who never lived and never died."
Just as Holmes would have wished, the Museum of
London has promised more will be revealed before the exhibition opens on 17
October. It runs until the 12th April next year
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