Walking Stick

Date1881-1889

MediumWood

DimensionsOverall: 30 1/2 x 3 3/4 x 1in. (77.5 x 9.5 x 2.5cm)

Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. William C. Adams, Jr.

Object number1973.708.3

DescriptionCarved cane, the head of which is an eagle; the inside of the beak appears to have been painted yellow or white at one point; small wings are incised below the head; an American flag is incised at the top on the inside of the crook. Beginning at the top of the shaft bust length likenesses of the nineteen Presidents of the United States from 1789- 1881 are carved in shallow relief in a spiral fashion down the length of the cane. Under the portraits the last name of the president and his terminal year of office are carved. The last full bust is that of Rutherford B. Hayes; part of another head is shown at the very bottom--presumably that of James Garfield who served only in 1881.

Artist/Maker unidentified.
Label TextThis walking stick features carved portraits of each United States President from George Washington to James Garfield, their last names, and the years they left office. The fairly accurate depictions of the Presidents suggest that the maker worked from printed sources. The top of the stick was carved as an eagle's head, and small wings and an American flag were carved on the sides and on the inside of the handle.
Rutherford B. Hayes's is the last full bust on the shaft; part of another head can be discerned at the bottom, presumably that of James Garfield, who served in 1881. Originally the stick was about six inches longer than at present. The longer space would have accommodated the remainder of Garfield's bust and those of Chester Arthur (1885) and Grover Cleveland (1889). These and the patriotic symbols at the top suggest that the stick was created at the time of the centennial of the nation's Presidency in 1889.

InscribedSeparately carved into the stick are the following names and dates: "WASHINGTON [1797]"; "ADAMS 1800"; "JEFFERSON 1809"; "MADISON 181[7]"; "MONROE 182[5]"; "JQ ADAMS 1829"; "JACKSON 1837"; "VAN BUREN 1841"; "HARRISON 1841"; "TYLER 184[5]"; "POLK 184[9]"; "TAYLOR 185[1]"; "FILLMORE 1853"; "PIERCE 185[7]"; "BUCHANAN 1861"; "LINCOLN 1865"; "JOHNSON [1869]"; "GRANT 187[7]"; "HAYES [1881]"; "GARFIELD [1881]".
ProvenanceGift of Mr. and Mrs. William C. Adams, Jr., Richmond, Va.