While trawling through Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's essay collection Through the Magic Door, I noticed that he mentions the colour green many times.
This gave me the idea of looking for occurrences of this colour in Conan Doyle's life. I found more green connections than I was expecting, including some for Sherlock Holmes, and have summarised my findings here. The people, places and other items in the list may not seem particularly significant, but they certainly are interesting.
Could it be more than just coincidence that some of Conan Doyle's work was probably inspired well before it started by someone called Green, was definitely documented long after after it ended by another person with the name of Green, and during the productivity period in the middle was edited by a man with Green in his name and published by a company with Green in its name?
Anna Katharine Green: the inspirer
Anna Katharine Green (1846 – 1935) was an American writer of pioneering detective fiction. She invented many standard features of the modern detective story; she has been called the mother of the detective novel. Her first, and best-selling, book The Leavenworth Case appeared around nine years before the first Sherlock Holmes story was published. She is believed to have inspired Conan Doyle, who was a fan of hers and corresponded with her.
Mystery writer Patricia Meredith has written and spoken about this connection:
Richard Lancelyn Green: the documenter
Richard Lancelyn Green (1953 - 2004) was considered to be the world's foremost scholar and leading authority on the topics of Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He collected much material and produced extensive notes for a three-volume biography of Conan Doyle, but died in mysterious circumstances before it was finished.
He collected and introduced some Sherlock Holmes tribute stories:
Herbert Greenhough Smith: the editor
Herbert Greenhough Smith (1855 - 1935) was the first editor of The Strand Magazine, which published many Sherlock Holmes stories. He supported and encouraged Conan Doyle, and his magazine's promotion of Sherlock Holmes had much to do with the character's success.
He produced a few books himself:
Longmans, Green: the publisher
Longmans, Green & Co. was a British publishing house. They published many of the Sherlock Holmes stories and novels and some of Conan Doyle's other works:
Harry Green: victim or perpetrator?
Conan Doyle took a great interest in the case of George Edalji, who was convicted of a series of animal mutilations, and played a prominent role in getting him released. Conan Doyle investigated the evidence, became convinced of Edalji's innocence and started a major campaign to clear his name.
The relevance of this case here is that a local farmer's son called Harry Green, whose horse was fatally mutilated, confessed to committing the crime himself. He later retracted his confession, saying that the police had bullied it out of him, and left for South Africa.
Conan Doyle wrote an article about this case in which he mentions Harry Green many times and suggests that he was guilty.
The Green Flag
The Green Flag is the title of a short story by Conan Doyle that appears in a collection of tales of war and sport. The green flag of the title is the old Irish flag, which features a golden harp:
The Greenland connection
When he was still a medical student, Conan Doyle signed up as ship's doctor on a Greenland whaling ship. His salary was two pounds, ten shillings a month.
He later wrote about his experiences during the seven-month Arctic voyage:
Hurst Green
As a boy, Conan Doyle spent seven years at the Jesuit school Stonyhurst College near Hurst Green, a small village in Lancashire.
This episode in his life is thought to have provided inspiration for various characters and settings in some of the Sherlock Holmes stories.
There are many green areas around the school:
The Woman in Green
The Woman in Green is a 1945 American film. It is based on some of Conan Doyle's characters. Sherlock Holmes is played by Basil Rathbone:
A Study in Emerald
A Study in Emerald (2003) is a short tribute story, a Sherlock Holmes pastiche, by Neil Gaiman. The emerald in the title refers to the green blood of a royal murder victim.
The green tartan
A special Sherlock Holmes tartan has been designed and is available in a whole range of products. The colour green is predominant; it reflects Conan Doyle's Irish ancestry:
The green museum
Green Plaques
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle lived for a while in Bush Villas, Elm Grove, Southsea. There are many plaques in the area; the one on the site where his house used to stand is blue, but it is opposite the junction with Green Road. The City of Westminster's green plaque scheme highlights buildings associated with people of renown who have lived or worked in Westminster. The plaques commemorate people who have made lasting contributions to society. There is one for Conan Doyle in Langham Place and another in Upper Wimpole Street.
It is an interesting coincidence that Oscar Wilde, who is mentioned on one of the plaques, wrote an essay called Pen, Pencil, And Poison - A Study In Green about an art critic who was also a murderer.
The colour green: more to come?
The list of people called Green in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's life has reminded me that many years ago I described some 'coincidences' involving Green people in my life in an article about Three Green Men.
All this has inspired me to investigate references to green in the lives and works of other writers featured on here. If I find anything interesting, there will be another article.
