Sidney Paget facts for kids
Sidney Edward Paget (born October 4, 1860 – died January 28, 1908) was a British artist. He is most famous for drawing pictures for the Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. These drawings appeared in The Strand Magazine.
Contents
Who Was Sidney Paget?
Sidney Paget was born in London, England. He was one of nine children. His father, Robert Paget, worked as a clerk for churches. His mother, Martha Paget, was a music teacher.
His Art Training
In 1881, Sidney Paget started studying art at the Royal Academy of Arts. While there, he became friends with Alfred Morris Butler. Some people think Alfred might have been the model for Paget's drawings of Dr. Watson, Sherlock Holmes's friend. Sidney Paget showed many of his paintings, including portraits, at the Royal Academy between 1879 and 1905.
His Work as an Illustrator
Paget's drawings were printed in many popular magazines. These included The Strand Magazine, The Graphic, and The Illustrated London News. His artwork became well known in both the United Kingdom and the United States. He drew pictures for detective stories by other authors too, helping to make these stories popular.
His Family Life
Sidney Paget married Edith Hounsfield in 1893. They had six children together: four daughters and two sons.
His Later Years
Sidney Paget passed away in Margate in 1908. He had been ill for several years with a chest problem. He was buried in East Finchley Cemetery. Sidney had two brothers, Henry Marriott Paget and Walter Stanley Paget, who were also successful artists and illustrators.
Drawing Sherlock Holmes
Sidney Paget is best remembered for creating the famous look of Sherlock Holmes. He was first hired to draw for The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. This was a series of twelve short stories published from 1891 to 1892.
How Holmes Became Famous
In 1893, Paget also illustrated The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. When Arthur Conan Doyle decided to write more Sherlock Holmes stories, he specifically asked for Paget to be the artist. Paget drew pictures for The Hound of the Baskervilles (1901–02) and The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1903–04).
In total, Paget illustrated one Sherlock Holmes novel and 37 short stories. His drawings have greatly influenced how people imagine the detective in books, movies, and plays.
The Strand Magazine's Success
The Strand Magazine became one of Britain's most famous fiction magazines. The Sherlock Holmes stories were its most popular feature. As Holmes became more famous, Paget's illustrations grew larger and more detailed. Many stories featured a full-page drawing, along with smaller ones.
Holmes's Iconic Look
Paget was the first to draw Holmes wearing his famous deerstalker cap and Inverness cape. These clothing items were never actually mentioned in the original stories! The cap and cape first appeared in an illustration in 1891. They showed up again in later stories. The curved calabash pipe that Holmes is often shown with was added by an actor named William Gillette, not by Paget.
Paget created about 356 drawings for the Sherlock Holmes series. His pictures of Holmes became so well known that other artists felt they had to copy his style.
Rare Art and Legends
A full collection of The Strand magazines with Paget's Sherlock Holmes illustrations is very rare and valuable. One of Paget's original drawings, showing Holmes and Moriarty fighting at the Reichenbach Falls, was sold for over $220,000 in 2004.
There's a story that Paget was hired by mistake, thinking he was his younger brother Walter. However, recent research suggests this story is not true. Another common belief was that Paget based Holmes's look on his brother Walter, but their other brother, Henry Marriott Paget, said this was not the case.
Images for kids
-
Illustrations from "The Croxley Master" by Arthur Conan Doyle
-
Portrait of Sherlock Holmes by Sidney Paget
-
Illustrations from "The Tragedy of the Korosko" by Arthur Conan Doyle
-
Illustration for "The Adventure of the Speckled Band"
-
Illustration for "The Five Orange Pips"
-
Illustrations from "How the Brigadier Slew the Fox" by Arthur Conan Doyle
-
Illustrations from "The Croxley Master" by Arthur Conan Doyle
See also
In Spanish: Sidney Paget para niños
