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ineteenth century walking sticks, also known and accessories including the walking stick were put
as canes or handstaffs, apparently harken back together to attract the eye and reflect the strong sense
Nto the humble shepherd staffs once used to of fashion and poise of the wearer.
herd sheep, traverse rough terrain, and fend off wild
animals. Later ones, crafted to aid “persons of decayed A Man of the World
constitutions,” often resembled these simple staffs of old. As a result of the exploration of
When the art and craft produced more stylish
ones—hand-carved from fine woods like ash, walnut, the natural wonders of the world,
walking sticks continued to be
maple, mahogany, rosewood, oak, or cherry— refined and became available in a
these were designed to symbolize gentility, wealth, wide variety of styles and materials.
and power of the owner. Initially, these smart, At formal events, members of the
slender sticks were bound with ribbons and dangled, upper classes generally preferred
hands-free, from waistcoat buttons. In time, attached “wearing” elegant models made of cane,
to straps or thongs, they were dangled from wrists.
bamboo, rattan palm, or carved from
premium woods like ash, beech, black-
Bone and Horn Walking Sticks, The Evolution of Walking Stick Style thorn, crab, cherry, or maple, or oak.
silver knobs and ferrules, Over time, additional changes occurred as these Others acquired ones made of exotic,
longest 36”. 19th century, realized sticks were enhanced. Comfortable, compact, indented natural materials like tortoiseshell, rhino
$1,125 in 2018 walking stick handles gave way to knobbed, rounded horn, or ram’s horn. Their handles—
photo: Heritage Auctions, HA.com
hollows housing whatever gentlemen might require indented, knob, pistol grip, crutch, or Victorian
crook-shaped—were often made of presentation
luxurious gold, sterling silver, enamel, stick, ebony
glass, alabaster, or ivory carved to shaft, 12KT
gold, hand
resemble flowers, animals, human faces, chased handle
grotesques, or mythical beasts. Yet
photo: rubylane.com
many considered sticks encrusted
Walking cane featuring alligator-shaped handle and carving with gems or trimmed with flashy
“S.H. Caldwell,” owned by Dr. Samuel H. Caldwell, mother-of-pearl, silk, or leather accents the most
the Confederate Surgeon to General Nathan Bedford Forrest, prestigious of all.
realized $597.50 in 2017 photo: Heritage Auctions, HA.com During the Industrial Revolution, when much of
walking stick production became mechanized, demand
while out and about. Pinches of snorting snuff, also soared among the lower classes. In America, as in
built-in pipes, lucifers (matches), and cigars to tiny Europe, forests of low-cost walking sticks
vials of brandy, sweetened lemon juice to whet their appeared, ranging from thick, cattle-driver
whistle, or bracing nuggets of nutmeg or ginger cudgels to slender, delicate bamboo and
were just a few of the eccentric requests for inclusion gutta-percha “whiptails.”
into one’s walking stick.
Some changes were apparently improvised on the Use of Walking Sticks Whilst
spot. For example, a good-natured old gentleman
somehow added a whistle to its top-knob to amuse Out and About
grandchildren riding his walking stick like a hobby Most gentlemen employed their walking
horse. This proved so popular that scores of fathers and sticks prudently as they strolled about –
grandfathers did the same. navigating ditches, measuring the depth of
These stylish accessories not only “swelled to the puddles, “beheading” weeds, and extending
thickness of broomsticks with a nob of prodigious their reach. Others, however, wielded them
English Horn and Ebonized Wood size,” but also grew in height. wildly, with no sense of propriety.
Spinning Mirror Walking Stick By the 19th century, when dapper European and
which by unscrewing, reconfigures Americans were wont to flaunt their finery, walking Important 1856-Dated Gold and Gold Quartz Topped
into spinning mirror likely used to sticks had become essential parts of a well-dressed Presentation Walking Stick, presented to John F. McCauley
attract birds and insects, late 19th gentleman’s attire. Different designs were deemed by John Simms of McCauley, Simms & Co., which took
century, 36”, $500 in 2017 over management of San Quentin prison in 1857, realized
desirable for different occasions and for differing hours
photo: Heritage Auctions, HA.com $8,962.50 in 2011 photo: Heritage Auctions, HA.com
of the day. When leaving the house, cravats, neckties,
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