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Holmes, Watson, Lucens and

a gem of a museum

by Robert J. Parsons

For the fans of Sherlock Holmes (innumerable,
for he has garnered far more than any other
fictional character in history), he is forever
linked to Switzerland. It was here at the
Reichenbach Falls in the Bernese Oberland
that Holmes plunged to his death in a
wrestling match with the notorious organized Reichenback Falls, clearly reveals Conan
crime leader Professor Moriarty whom he had Doyle’s impatience to dispose of his hero…
been tracking all the way from London. The The scene was wonderfully illustrated by
event was recounted in a short story originally Sidney Paget: horrendous cliffs, reminiscent
titled, “The Adventure of the Final Problem” of Gustave Doré’s chasms in his illustrations
published in 1893. for Dante’s Inferno, a suggestion of spray
and black depths, and two figures poised on
By the time of its publication, Arthur Conan the brink against a Gothic crag, hearing the
Doyle had published two detective novels, thunderclap of doom.”
introducing Sherlock Holmes and his
assistant, John H. Watson, MD, in A Study in On the ledge where the wrangle took place,
Scarlet, then amplifying the sleuth’s reputation there is a plaque that says (in English), “At this
in The Sign of Four. These were followed by fearful place, Sherlock Holmes vanquished
a dozen short stories published individually Professor Moriarty, on 4 May 1891.”
and subsequently collected in a single volume,
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Each account of And that, as far as Conan Doyle was concerned,
Holmes’s exploits increased Doyle’s reputation was that. It was time to move on to serious
and added more followers to what was already literary endeavors.
becoming something of a cult of enthusiastic
admirers. However, the reading public saw it otherwise,
that society at the time would have considered same-sex relationship grew apace. The “pix”
abominable. demonstrate this technical progress and its and thereupon followed an amazing public
concomitant proliferation. In spite of the huge success of these stories, outcry that would not calm down. In short,
The collection covers the years from the Doyle wished to move on to historical novels, Conan Doyle as a writer in the new and
eighteen sixties to the nineteen fifties and The present exhibition grew out of the work that he considered more worthy of a immensely popular genre of crime fiction was
testifies to a certain timeliness, for there is a publication of many of the photos in 2019 real writer. After ten more stories, he drafted already an unrivaled paragon, and, while he
remarkable similarity of poses and positions, in a book titled Loving, published in five what is now known as “The Final Problem”, seemed unable to perceive this, his readers
regardless of the time and place. All social languages to great acclaim. Marc-Olivier subjecting Holmes to what was intended to be certainly could.
a very honorable death. It became the eleventh
classes and ages are represented, from manual Wahler, the new head of the Musée d’art et
workers to well heeled businessmen, not to d’histoire, met the publishers of the book prior and final story in Doyle’s fourth Sherlock So, lured by an offer of phenomenal royalties,
Holmes book, Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.
mention students, soldiers and sailors. its publication, and, impressed, he proposed Doyle eventually picked up his pen and
the museum exhibition, the first of its kind for produced five more books, including two
Over time, with the steadily expanding the collection. The photos shown at the Musée Charles Higham, biographer of Holmes’s novels, one of which, The Hound of the
use of photography as it emerged from the Rath did not figure in the book and are being creator (The Adventures of Conan Doyle), Baskervilles, is often regarded as a masterpiece
described it in some detail.
exclusiveness of professionals and studio shown to the public for the first time. The of the genre.
settings, and as personal cameras that could exhibit is running through 24 September.
be used indoors and out became common, “The climax, unhappily off stage, in Charles Higham points out a fortuitous twist
the possibilities for privately recording a Robert J. Parsons which Moriarty and Holmes plunge over to the story.

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