This cane or walking stick was a souvenir piece from the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, the Columbian Exposition. The topper is a tin bust of Columbus, the man who "discovered" America, with his name and an anchor just beneath it.

Weight (Lbs): 0.5
Height (In.): 34.50"
Width (In.): 1.50"
Depth (In.): 1.50"
Size: 301.5 x 4.0 x 4.0"
Maker: Unknown
Material: Cherry Wood, Tin
Date: 1893
Provenance:
Condition: Some darkening of the metal, mild rubbing of the varnish.
History: The fair opened in May and ran through October 30, 1893. Forty-six nations participated in the fair (it was the first world's fair to have national pavilions), constructing exhibits and pavilions and naming national "delegates" (for example, Haiti selected Frederick Douglass to be its delegate). The Exposition drew nearly 26 million visitors. The exposition was located in Jackson Park and on the Midway Plaisance on 630 acres (2.5 km2) in the neighborhoods of South Shore, Jackson Park Highlands, Hyde Park and Woodlawn. Charles H. Wacker was the Director of the Fair. The layout of the fairgrounds was created by Frederick Law Olmsted, and the Beaux-Arts architecture of the buildings was under the direction of Daniel Burnham, Director of Works for the fair. Renowned local architect Henry Ives Cobb designed several buildings for the exposition. The Director of the American Academy in Rome, Francis Davis Millet, directed the painted mural decorations. Indeed, it was a coming-of-age for the arts and architecture of the "American Renaissance", and it showcased the burgeoning neoclassical and Beaux-Arts styles.