By Sherlock Holmes' beard!

In 1887, Arthur Conan Doyle asked his father - Charles Altamont Doyle - to illustrate his soon-to-be-published novel A Study in Scarlet. Charles produced eight drawings, which proved to be his last paid work - as he was incarcerated shortly afterwards. Evidently, Charles took very little interest in the descriptive passages in his son's book. Sherlock (in the centre) is a rather hearty fellow here, with a petite nose and a curly beard. He is flanked by Watson, in devil-beard (Left) - and, apparently, The Grinch (Right).

#arthurconandoyle #sherlockholmes #astudyinscarlet