Cane

fourth quarter 19th century

Not on view

Apart from their obvious functionality, canes were an elegant accessory in the 19th century, when the afternoon promenade gave members of the fashionable set occasion to display their finery and genteel manners. This gentleman's novelty cane conceals an elaborately engraved and monogrammed sword blade. While technically functional as a sword, the absence of a proper grip and guard make the cane more suited to braggadocio than actual dueling. Another such gadget cane in the Brooklyn collection (2009.300.1125a–e) contains a liquor vial and tiny drinking glass. Equivalent women's sticks sometimes held snuff bottles, powders vials, or other cosmetic materials.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Exhibition History

Title: Cane
Date: fourth quarter 19th century
Culture: Spanish
Medium: wood, metal
Credit Line: Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Arthur Walker, 1961
Object Number: 2009.300.1280a, b
Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute

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