Female Portrait Walking Stick

Copied Unidentified, Female Portrait Walking Stick, 18th-19th century, wood carved in high relief, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr., 1998.84.49
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Artwork Details

Title
Female Portrait Walking Stick
Artist
Unidentified
Date
18th-19th century
Credit Line
Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr.
Mediums Description
wood carved in high relief
Classifications
Keywords
  • Figure female — full length
Object Number
1998.84.49

Artwork Description

Artists decorate canes with a wide variety of images, from traditional carvings of snakes and birds, to nude women, political figures, and celebrities. Some artists highlight the natural shape of the wood by applying relief designs onto twisted branches and roots, while others carve three-dimensional shapes into the shaft. Images of animals are the most popular decoration, but many canes also show patriotic, fraternal, and political themes. (George Meyer, American Folk Art Canes, 1992)