Disguises of Sherlock Holmes ‘The stage lost a fine actor . . . when he became a specialist in crime.’ (‘A Scandal in Bohemia’) Sherlock Holmes was, famously, a master of disguise, and had at least five safe houses in London where he could change his appearance to suit his circumstances. His new character often fooled Watson himself (no difficult feat if Sherlock’s assessment of his companion’s powers of observation are any guide), and included the following.
DISGUISE
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STORY
Elderly deformed man Watson bumps into
‘The Empty House’
Italian priest Watson meets on a train
‘The Final Problem’
French ouvrier who rescues Watson from an assault
‘The Disappearance of Lady Carfax’
Drunken-looking groom
‘A Scandal in Bohemia’
Asthmatic old mariner who sits in Holmes’s study next to Watson for a while
The Sign of Four
Opium smoker who approaches Watson in a drugs den
‘The Man with the Twisted Lip’
Other disguises
DISGUISE STORY A common loafer
‘The Beryl Coronet’
Captain Basil Escott, a plumber
‘Black Peter’ ‘Charles Augustus Milverton’
Altamont, an Irish–American spy
‘His Last Bow’
Old sporting man
‘The Mazarin Stone’
Old woman
‘The Mazarin Stone’
Clergyman
‘A Scandal in Bohemia’
Sailor
The Sign of Four
The eagle-eyed Watson’s reaction ‘it struck me that the fellow must be some poor bibliophile’
‘Good heavens,’ I cried; ‘How you startled me!’
‘I turned to thank my preserver’
‘I had to look three times before I was indeed certain it was he’ ‘Holmes! . . . You here! But where is the old man?’
‘It took all my self-control to prevent me from breaking out into a cry of astonishment’
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Sherlock´s Best Quotes As you might expect of a man who didn’t suffer fools gladly, Sherlock rarely seemed to speak a word that wasn’t weighed carefully for its impact. Consequently he remains eminently quotable.
It is stupidity rather than courage to refuse to recognize danger when it is close upon you. ‘The Final Problem’
Moriarty If you are clever enough to
bring destruction upon me, rest assured that I shall do as much to you. Holmes If I were assured of the former eventuality I would, in the interest of the public, cheerfully accept the latter. ‘The Final Problem’
Beyond the obvious facts that he has at some time done manual labour, that he takes snuff, that he is a Freemason, that he has been in China, and that he has done a considerable amount of writing lately, I can deduce nothing else. ‘The Red-Headed League’
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Inspector Gregory Is there any
point to which you wish to draw my attention? Holmes To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time. Gregory The dog did nothing in the night-time. Holmes That was the curious incident. ‘Silver Blaze’
It is my business to know what other people don’t know. ‘The Blue Carbuncle’
Education never ends, Watson. It is a series of lessons, with the greatest for the last. ‘The Red Circle’
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