Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Chairman David Jones welcomes members and guests to the Society's Spring Meeting (photo by Roger Johnson)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Dr Thevoz is undoubtedly the ideal person to tell us about Clubs and Clubland
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Ladies and gentlemen, here is Seth Alexander Thevoz! (photo by Nick Johnson)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
For many years we have thought of the London Clubs as staid, reactionary and stuffy (photo by Roger Johnson)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
That isn't how they began, as this cartoon by James Gillray indicates!
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Early Clubs could be rowdy and louche, a tradition that persisted well into the 19th century
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
From the late 18th century Clubs proliferated, especially in St James's and Mayfair (photo by Roger Johnson)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
This early 20th century advertisement lists seventy Clubs in an area of little more than half a square mile
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
The Club provided the opportunity for private conversation (photo by Roger Johnson)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
As these pictures of the Carlton Club suggest, private conversation could also mean gossip
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
So, what is the appeal of a Club? (photo by Roger Johnson)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Sociability is important, even at the Athenaeum - though not at the Diogenes
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Many men and women like to be in the company of their own gender for a while. In any case, privacy is essential (photo by Roger Johnson)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
The Club Porter is expected to know all the members and guests, and to respect their privacy
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
For many, their Clubs have an important role in keeping up with The Fashion (photo by Roger Johnson)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Clubs provide facilities for communication - by telephone, telegraph or simply by mail - that may not be easily accessible at home
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
At first, each Club was owned and managed as a commercial venture by a private individual (photo by Roger Johnson)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
In 1800 the Union Club was founded as the first Club owned by its members. The building is now Canada House
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Gillray had a rather low opinion of the Union Club (photo by Roger Johnson)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
This is James Gillray's impression of an evening at the Union Club!
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Not all applications for membership are approved (photo by Roger Johnson)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
The secret ballot called blackballing was much less common than one might think
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Later in the 19th century, many clubs became fully subscribed, and prospective members might have to wait thirty years or more (photo by Roger Johnson)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
The 1910 map of Clubland features no fewer than 87 Clubs
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
But to the Holmesian canon... (photo by Roger Johnson)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
John H Watson, former Army surgeon, was not of high enough rank to join the Army & Navy Club
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Dr Thevoz considers and dismisses other possible identifications (photo by Nick Johnson)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Dr Thevoz concludes that Watson was a member of the Oriental Club, then at these premises in Hanover Square
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
The real Case of Identity, however, concerns the fabled Diogenes Club (photo by Roger Johnson)
Sherlock Holmes Society of London:
Some have claimed that the Diogenes was actually the Travellers' Club (centre in the photograph)
