Cane

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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. The chased design on the handle of this handsome cane is particularly detailed, and the inclusion of both bird and plant motifs distinguishes it from the more routine overall scroll or flower design frequently used on such fittings. The cane's slender shape and light weight suggest it could be either a woman's or man's walking stick.

The Costume Institute

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Costume Institute's collection of more than thirty-three thousand objects represents seven centuries of fashionable dress and accessories for men, women, and children, from the fifteenth century to the present.

Metropolitan Museum of Art