From Urban London to the Ends of the Earth

emmadelosnardos:

I was astonished to come across this self-portrait of the artist Romaine Brooks at the Brooklyn Museum of Art’s fantastic exhibit Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture.

I don’t know what the intentions were of the costume department of Sherlock in sewing red thread around the button hole, but as moonblossom and I were discussing, there is certainly a strong resemblance to Germaine Brooks’ portrait. The red buttonhole, the popped collar, the leather gloves….

I especially love the fact that Romaine Brooks was a queer artist who depicted women in gender-bending ways. A lovely visual inspiration for Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock.

This is very interesting to me. Looking at the two side-by-side, I can’t imagine it’s nothing but coincidence. Even if it wasn’t intentional, I think someone in the art or costuming department must have come across the portrait at some point, and it must have left a significant impact. There are conscious addition/decisions to Sherlock’s outfit, such as the red buttonhole and the popped collar Emma mentions, that just seem way too perfectly matched to be entirely accidental.