Possibly, but, as far as I know, the first conventions where cosplay became popular were largely contemporary comic and science fiction related. That’s why I mentioned Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers specifically. So popular were these two characters in fact that Flash Gordon for instance had a Sunday comic, a daily comic written by a different person than the Sunday one, a radio show, and the serial that was linked in my previous comment, all at the same time.
You’re telling me those Sherlock Holmes fanatics weren’t dressing up like him and characters from the books when they met up?
Possibly, but, as far as I know, the first conventions where cosplay became popular were largely contemporary comic and science fiction related. That’s why I mentioned Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers specifically. So popular were these two characters in fact that Flash Gordon for instance had a Sunday comic, a daily comic written by a different person than the Sunday one, a radio show, and the serial that was linked in my previous comment, all at the same time.