The traditional view of the world's most famous detective Sherlock Holmes always includes his trademark calabash pipe. But, this is not quite accurate. In fact Holmes, as drawn by the original artist Sidney Pagat, used a long-stemmed (chuchwarden) pipe. The calabash pipe actually has a mellowing effect upon the smoking mixture, which would have been against Holmes's preference to strong harsh tobacco.
The truth behind the pipe comes from the stage performances of Sherlock Holmes by William Gillette. As an actor on the stage he chose the calabash pipe because of its low center of gravity which allows the smoker to hold the pipe in the mouth alone. That way he was free to act with both hands, but still keep the pipe in his mouth. The popularized pipe of Sherlock Holmes was used by Basil Rathbone in motion pictures and became a part of the Holmes legend, even though it is a pipe he would not have smoked.
-Professor Walter
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