June 5, 1934

William Gillette (1853 -1937) was an actor and playwright. He was the earliest to portray Sherlock Holmes on stage. Gillette made the deerstalker hat and curved pipe crucial elements of that persona. His fame was such that such caricatures like this below were widely recognised in the early 20th century.





William Gillette, an American, was one of the charter members of the Baker Street Irregulars, which Christopher Morley convened in New York City, for the first time, June 5, 1934.