Often worn in rural areas, particularly for hunting, the deerstalker’s defining feature is a pair of semicircular bills or visors worn in front and rear, providing protection from the sun for the face and neck of the wearer when spending time outdoors. Made famous by the stories of Sherlock Holmes, the deerstalker has become stereotypical headgear for a detective, although interestingly, Arthur Conan Doyle didn’t actually mention Holmes wearing a deerstalker in any of his novels. Instead it was the original book illustrator, Sidney Paget, who decided to have the detective wear a deerstalker on almost every cover due to wanting to give Sherlock Holmes a memorable appearance. Since then, the deerstalker has become nearly synonymous with Sherlock Holmes and the stereotypical headgear for detectives.
