The walking stick with a secret Picture Number Catalog 109 Gadget cane for small animal traders Shaft: wood, brown Round handle: bone with bronze medallion, unscrewable Collar (transition from handle to shaft): brass, nickel-plated Ferrule (lower end of the cane): brass and iron tip Around 1850 Length: 94.9 cm Lender: private collection from the region If you unscrew the bronze medallion on the bone handle, you can pull out a measuring stick made of baleen from it. It is scaled in the English length unit of inch . A brass measuring stick can also be folded out from this measuring cane. For example, the shoulder height of dogs could be measured. The original collection number 12 by Niklaus Stoecklin is affixed to the shaft. This gadget cane comes from the collection of the famous Basel painter Niklaus Stoecklin. Baleens Baleens are the horn plates hanging down from the upper jaw of a baleen whale instead of teeth. With the help of the mostly finely feathered baleen, whales filter plankton such as krill from seawater. Under the name of whalebone , baleens were used to give corsets their form until the early 20th century. 1 / 122 The walking stick with a secret Picture Number Catalog 110 Horse measuring cane Shaft: bamboo Handle: boxwood (wood), unscrewable Collar (transition from handle to shaft): nickel, stamped Nickel Silver Ferrule (lower end of the cane): brass plate with short iron tip Manufacturer: Swaine Adeney, London (England) Around 1920, England Lender: private collection from the region After unscrewing the handle, the inner measuring rod can be pulled out. The bamboo measuring stick bears the full inscription of Swaine and Adenay, a renowned specialist shop for riding implements, whips or walking canes. The company still sells very exclusive riding equipment today. The measurements on the scale are given in feet and in Horse Height. A measure still common in the horse trade today (only in England). 10 HH corresponds to 101.6 cm, in other words, based on the rule of thumb times 10 plus 2%. It is always measured at the height of the withers. The definition of pony is tricky which is definitely supposed to be under 148 cm (14.2 HH). Otherwise it goes into the more heavy class of horses. Often the horseshoes were removed and the hooves cut to the maximum. Shaving is also a possible measure. Horse measuring sticks are very popular and widespread. Swaine Adeney, London In 1750, John Ross founded a whip-making business at 238 Piccadilly, London W1. James Swaine bought this company in 1798, after having been foreman of a successful whip manufacturer in Holborn for several years. A royal appointment from His Majesty King George III and his sons, the Prince of Wales and the Dukes of York, Clarence, Kent, Cumberland and Cambridge, followed quickly, and Swaine Adeney’s reputation for quality and excellence was established. The royal appointments were renewed during the reigns of His Majesty George IV and His Majesty William IV. In 1835, James Swaine moved his business to larger premises at 185 Piccadilly. Business continued to flourish and in 1845 Edward Swaine entered into a partnership with his nephew. The new name was then Swaine Adeney. Many things are still the same today in many respects. The same craftsmanship is used for the hand molding of the fine leather goods: tools, seams and engravings for each piece in the old tradition. Swaine Adeney’s workshops in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk are (unfortunately) one of the last workshops in the United Kingdom to produce fine leather in this way. Customers can send their favorite pieces for repair, no matter how old they are. In 1851, Swaine Adeney decided to show its fine products to the world at the London exhibition in the newly built Crystal Palace. The exhibition was the largest the world had ever seen. Swaine Adeney won several prizes at the London exhibition, which prompted the company to show its fine wares at the Paris Exhibition of 1900. Swaine Adeney’s reputation as the best leather goods manufacturer now grew worldwide. Thomas Brigg and Son’s was founded in 1836 at 23 St. James’s Street, just a stone’s throw from Swaine Adeney Brigg’s present location. The company specialized in the production of the finest umbrellas, walking canes and hunting bags. During the Second World War, Brigg & Sons lost its Paris business when France was occupied. Back home in London, help was available in the 2 / 122 The walking stick with a secret Picture Number Catalog form of Swaine Adeney. The two companies merged mid-war in February 1943 and formed Swaine Adeney Brigg & Sons Limited. The company became famous for the supply of equestrian articles, which are still produced today. 111 Horse measuring cane Shaft: bamboo, sanded Round hook handle: bamboo, sanded Ferrule (lower end of the cane): nickel sheet 2004 Lender: private collection from the region A square measuring bar can be pulled out from the upper part of the handle with a transverse end piece for support on the horse's shoulder. So that the measurement is exactly right-angled, a small spirit level is also installed. Ponies from 100 cm shoulder height and horses up to 180 cm can be measured. As with the historical model, HH Horse Height is also indicated in addition to cm. Very practical and widely used tool for measuring the horse height. This is very important if horses are to be a good match for a carriage. This cane is also used to decide whether it is a pony or a horse. The measuring stick is very important, because big ponies are expensive, but small horses are cheap. 112 Measuring cane with wooden scales Shaft, square: wooden Round handle, square: horn, light-colored Ferrule, square (lower end of the cane): horn Around 1910 Length: 87.5 cm Lender: private collection from the region Measuring gadget cane with two wooden fold-out scales graduated in centimeters, which together make up one meter. 113 Gadget cane with measuring stick Shaft: wood with measuring stick, four-part, hinged Handle: horn, dark brown bent in Scottish shepherd style Collar (transition from handle to shaft): brass, nickel-plated, rectangular, removable Ferrule (lower end of the cane): brass, nickel-plated, removable Around 1870, probably Germany Length: 90.2 cm Lender: private collection from the region You can remove the handle and with the snap fastener, the collar and ferrule as well. Then a wooden measuring stick is released. It can be unfolded to a length of three meters. Graduation in centimeters with German labeling. 3 / 122 The walking stick with a secret Picture Number Catalog 114 Levelling gadget cane Shaft, square: ebony Round handle, square: ivory Ferrule, square (lower end of the cane): ivory Around 1910 Length: 89.8 cm Lender: private collection from the region If the cane is placed on its right side, two large graduated visors and two small visors can be opened on the left side, revealing a spirit level in between. The top visor with three peepholes can also be pulled out and shows a graduated scale of 40 to 75 units. The opposite lowermost visor shows two graduated scales of 0 –40 and 30 –70 units. In addition to these various scales, a scale of light wood is inserted between the two fold-out visors on the front, with the units 1.5 to 100 and a centimeter scale of 1–15 cm. Such a levelling cane could be used as a measuring instrument, with which height differences could be measured and height horizons established. It was used to determine routes, for railways, roads and paths in the mountains, for levelling and height measurement for engineers, foresters, architects and surveyors. 115 Gadget cane with measuring tape Shaft: wood Handle: Leather, drum with measuring tape Collar (transition from handle to shaft): probably metal Probably beginning of 20th century Length: 92.5 cm Lender: private collection from the region The handle contains a drum with a textile tape measure. It can be pulled out and with the push of a button it is rewound and retracted. 4 / 122 The walking stick with a secret Picture Number Catalog 116 Gadget cane as advertising gift Shaft: wooden Handle: brass with tape measure Collar (transition from handle to shaft): brass Ferrule (lower end of the cane): brass Manufacturer: John Rabone & Sons, Birmingham (England) Around 1890, England Length: 90.3 cm Lender: private collection from the region A metal measuring tape is integrated in the handle. It can be pulled out with a tab. By pressing the round button on the handle, the tape is retracted. The measuring tape was used as a distance measuring tape during the Bowl game. You could measure the distance between the game balls with this tape. The handle had an engraved image of an English gentleman with red west, white trousers, riding boots, top hat and cane. Walker: BORN 1820 STILL GOING STRONG. This is the advertising figure and logo of the whisky producer Johnnie Walker. They wanted to express that there is no contradiction between drinking whisky and walking briskly with a cane in nature. This cane was distributed by whisky producer Johnnie Walker as a promotional gift to his customers. The manufacturer is engraved on the side of the handle: JOHN RABONE & SONS BRIMINGHAM ENGLAND. John Rabone & Sons Birmingham, England Around 1780, Michael Rabone ran a shop in Snow Hill 8, Sheffield, England, which manufactured measuring controllers or measuring tapes. The shop was continued by John Rabone and his grandson Eric Rabone. The company operated under the name John Rabone & Sons from 1784 to 1953.