Canes

Canes and walking sticks were used by every well-dressed man in the nineteenth century, but by World War I the style had changed. Political canes were popular until the campaign of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He used a wheelchair but did not want it known, so his campaign avoided canes. Today canes are used by few but the infirm. A walking stick is not the same as a cane. It has a larger shaft and often a tricky handle. Collectors prize old canes and walking sticks made with special features, like hidden swords, whiskey flasks, or risqué pictures seen through peepholes. Examples with solid gold heads or made from exotic materials are among the higher-priced canes. See also Scrimshaw.