"Drawing Room Detectives" Topic

And the last of my special figures have been completed -- the Drawing Room Detectives [set PMH-01] from Pulp Figures. Besides the four famous detectives, the set included three "clues" (or plot points).

I think I've identified three of the four detectives -- (from the right) Charlie Chan, Miss Marple, and Hercule Poirot. But I'm not sure who the one of the far left is. Any help is appreciated.

The three "clues" (plot points) are a stack of ancient tomes with a skull on top, a painted bust of Napoleon I, and the Maltese falcon ("… the stuff that dreams are made of … .").

Now I'm back to painting "run of the mill" Colonial troops -- Indian army, Russian colonial troops, Thugees, and Pashtuns.

Jim

My first two guesses would be Lord Peter Wimsey and Philo Vance, maybe with the early Ellery Queen in third place, the early Queens being shameless Philo Vance ripoffs. Both Wimsey and Vance were avid book collectors.

The skull could be Yorick, on whom aspirant members must swear the Detection Club Oath. The bust of Napoleon is, of course, one of a set of six.

FWIW, I immediately thought it was Ellery Queen. But I'm not as familiar with Wimsey and Vance, so I'm deferring to Piepenbrink's judgment.

Thank you, Blount. Truth is, for any one of the three, I'd have made the miniature thinner and added a cane and a monocle or pince-nez. But if it's not one of those three, I'm clueless.

I'm not sure you could tell the three apart in miniature down to about The Spanish Cape Mystery (1935) Or Halfway House (1936.) Julian Symonds says Halfway House was the last case of "Ellery Queen I" who wears a pince-nez, carries a stick and speaks somewhat affectedly--that is, very like Vance and Wimsey. He attributes the later cases to "Ellery Queen II"--possibly a younger brother? (This is in Great Detectives: Seven Original Investigations.) I suspect Ellery Queen II looked more like Jim Hutton.

Oh. And the Detection Club Skull is named Eric. My mistake.

I recall from previous discussions that the fellow on the left is Sexton Blake. He was an early rival of Sherlock Holmes. If you Google him, you'll see a very familiar illustration.

Nick,

That would fit. The figure has a monogram "S" on his smoking jacket.

I knew I could count on the "hivemind" for an answer.

Thanks,

Jim

Great work, nnascati! And what I deserve for neglecting the franchise.

Nice painting!

Lord Peter would be a much more elegant, slim and well-dressed individual with a monocle. Miss Marple should be much more delicate and elderly rather the stout and "horsey" figure portrayed. Very nice painting especially Poirot and Chan.