Canes and sticks: a world to discover

   Whether they be decorative or system canes, every cane has its history and shows how ingenious man can be to combine elegance with usefulness.

   Canes are over age and were probably born by chance: an elderly man picked from the ground a branch that had fallen from a tree, and immediately understood all the benefits he could reap from it.

   However, one can say that the golden age of canes dates from the 19th century. Most canes that were created then were walking canes that were worn any time and that were interchanged according to the circumstances. It was not conceivable then that a man of some social status would keep the same cane throughout the day. There was the morning cane, the cane dedicated to the aperitif stroll, that of the afternoon, that of night outings, strolls into woods, or the one to visit friends and acquaintances. Canes were regarded as indispensable clothing complements.

   In addition to their own charm, some canes had an additional advantage: deep inside, they were concealing a secret. These are system canes, which were either practical or defensive, or else stored some feature in connection with their owner's occupation. It would be vain to try and draw up an exhaustive list of all systems that were invented and their patent registered: over a thousand have been taken stock of by renowned collectors. Amongst the most frequent systems, let us mention:

- Seats, which can have one to four legs.

- Fishing. Numerous strolling canes were storing a full fishing rod, sometimes a spinet or a spear.

- Sports. Some canes are heavier, they can be used for a sportsman's training, or conceal a riding crop in their shaft..

- Picnic. These canes contain knives, forks, a screwdriver, a phial, pepper and salt pots.

- Tobacco. These canes can provide their owners with a pipe, a cigarette holder, a lighter, and a box of matches with a striking pad.

- Writing and drawing. They provide inkbottles, penholders, clutch-type pencils, erasing knives, painting paraphernalia, easel, etc.

- Games and tricks. They are canes that store dice, dominoes, a cup-and-ball, cracker canes, a confetti thrower, a water jet…

- Time measurement. In this category one can find watches, sundials, chronometers or calendars.

- Optics. These are field-glass canes, opera glasses, magnifiers or compasses.

- Photography. These canes include a photographer's tripod or else, although more scarcely, a miniature camera. Some canes also store miniature pictures.

- Musical instruments. Among these, one can find flutes, fiddles, reed pipes or else a tuning fork.

- Ladies' canes store fans, boxes or beauty preparations (powder cases, lipsticks, perfume spray). They also include embroidery or needlework material.

- Gentlemen's canes store other male accessories: keys, umbrellas, gold franc cases.

- Defense sticks. These are bludgeon sticks, truncheons, stilettos for cutting weapons, pistol-, revolver- or rifle-swords.

- Measurement canes, which can be horse dealers' or undertakers' height gauges, or cooper's, clothmaker's and forester's canes.

- Tool canes: for instance pruners, knives with saw-teeth, axes and hammers.

- Medical canes can include medical or surgical kits, pharmaceutical equipment, syringes, and hearing aids.

- Brotherhood canes: Freemasonry produced some types of canes with boxes, swords and ceremony accessories, without forgetting the famous journeymen's canes, which were part and parcel of their owner's life.