Stuff To Blow Your Mind The Artifact: The Walking Stick Fiddle
Mar 4, 2026
A visit to the Musical Instrument Museum leads to the discovery of a 19th-century Spazierstock-Geige, a walking stick fitted with a tiny four-string fiddle and bow. The cane’s hidden panels and concealment spark questions about fashion, bans, and novelty gadget canes. Discussion highlights the instrument as an ornate, low-volume luxury accessory rather than a practical musical tool.
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Discovery Of The Walking Stick Fiddle
- Robert Lamb recounts finding a late 19th century Spazierstock-Geige walking stick fiddle at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix.
- The cane is a short wooden walking stick with a small four-string functional fiddle and a fitted bow built into one side, sometimes hidden by a panel.
Gadget Canes As Fashionable Novelties
- Gadget canes evolved from the fashion of sword canes in 18th–19th century Europe rather than purely practical needs.
- As sword canes grew fashionable, makers hid all sorts of luxury novelties in canes, turning utility into a status-driven fad.
Catalog Of Strange Gadget Canes
- Robert Lamb lists numerous historical gadget canes to illustrate the craze for hidden features.
- Examples include a coin-weighing cane, magic-lantern projector cane, microscope cane, miniature croquet set cane, and an eagle-headed crossbow cane.