Mastery of Design: Prince Albert’s Walking Stick, 1840

Walking
Stick,
1840
The Royal
Collection

Upon the Christmas of 1840, Queen Victoria wrote in her journal that she’d presented Prince Albert with a beautiful, enameled walking stick to add to his collection. The Prince’s collection of sticks reflected his many interests—incorporating a wide range of styles and materials and coming from a variety of countries.


This walking stick features a shaft of Malacca cane mounted by an enameled grip which has been intricately inlaid with garnets, rubies, emeralds and turquoises. This walking stick set a fashionable trend for gentlemen of the period, resulting in the import of over 100,000 Malacca canes from China to London.