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Harry Lauder / Sticks and Canes
 
Over the course of three days in May 1966 the contents of Harry Lauder's home were sold by the auctioneers "Morrison & McChlery" of Glasgow. The auction took place under a large tent at Lauder Ha', Harry's estate in Strathaven. 

Sir Harry had passed away sixteen years earlier, in February 1950.  Before he died, Harry had bequeathed his property and possessions to his niece and care-giver, Greta Lauder, to prevent her from having to pay burdensome "death duties". Unmarried and with no children, Greta continued to live at Lauder Ha' for another 15 years after Harry's death. 

Greta was advised by her solicitors that she, too, should transfer ownership of the property during her lifetime, perhaps to one of her cousins.  Greta neglected to do so -- vindictively, some suggest -- and consequently, upon her death, the home and its contents were forced to be sold at public auction.

Among the auctioned items were a collection of approximately eighty-five crooked sticks, canes and riding crops.  Their significance did not go unnoticed, as they were the final items items to be sold on the last day of the auction.

Since then, very few of Sir Harry's sticks and canes have resurfaced.  One example is the "lion" cane, left, which was offered in August 2006 by Bonham's auctioneers, Edinburgh (it did not sell).  The cane was described as having originally been purchased from the Lauder Ha' auction in May 1966, although I have not been able to find any photographic or written evidence to support this claim. 

In fact, therein lies the dilemma. How does one determine if a "Lauder" stick is authentic?
 
 

This page is an attempt to catalogue and identify as many of Harry Lauder's sticks as possible.  Hopefully these photographs will assist in authenticating future auction offerings.

While lacking in descriptive detail, the May 1966 auction catalogue (see excerpt directly below) suggests the quantity of sticks, canes, crooks and batons that were auctioned:

From the final page of the Lauder Ha' auction catalogue, May 1966.
 
A "Morrison and McChlery" employee sorts through Harry's sticks and canes at Lauder Ha', May 1966.
 
My Lauder stick (see story below).
 
This photo appears on page 36 of Harry Lauder's 1928 auto-biography, "Roamin in The Gloamin".  The photo is credited to "Hayne, Tooting Broadway", and was likely taken in the back garden of Lauder's Tooting home between 1903 and 1911.

In 2006 I purchased one of these sticks (high-lighted in yellow) from a woman in Australia.  Her mother's uncle acquired it from J. T. Picken, an Australian businessman of Scottish origin, and a good friend of Lauder's.  There's a gold engraved band on the stick which reads: "JT Picken, gifted by Sir Harry Lauder at his home in Strathaven, February 1949".
 
These three "Lauder" sticks were offered by Bonham's auctioneers, Edinburgh, on August 23, 2006.  The estimated price was £600 each. None of the sticks sold.

The first stick is said to have been gifted by Sir Harry Lauder to his friend and fellow entertainer Harry Gordon.

The second stick is said to have been used by Sir Harry during his 1936 "White Heather" tour.

The third stick is said to have been used by Sir Harry during his "Three Cheers" revue at the Shaftsbury Theatre in London in 1916.

All three sticks were offered for sale by Harry Gordon's grandson.  While I don't doubt his word as to their provenance, I was unable find any evidence supporting the sticks' authenticity.
 
Sir Harry, with a number of his famous walking sticks, at Lauder Ha', about 1945.  This photo is from the collection of Gregory Lauder-Frost.
 
These four "Lauder" sticks were offered in September 2002 by Shapes Fine Arts Auctioneers, Edinburgh. The three light coloured sticks sold for £440, £240 and £520.  The dark stick did not sell.

I have not seen any photographic evidence to support the authenticity of these sticks.
 
This "Harry Lauder" stick was auctioned on October 31, 2006 by McTears of Glasgow.  It sold for £170. For most of the 20th century this stick was displayed in the Dundas Street (Glasgow) pub owned by Mathew Reid, who was renowned for his collection of unusual sticks, many of which were acquired in Africa and India while he was in the military service.
 
 
1.
Crooked Sticks
This particular stick (next four photos, right and below) first appears in a number of early Harry Lauder promo shots, circa 1902. Decades later it can still be seen in photos taken at Sir Harry's home, circa 1948-49.
  
 
Some twisted and curly sticks, next four photos.
 
 
Edward, Prince of Wales, about 1930, in Japan, with the crooked stick he purchased and later presented to Harry Lauder.  Edward became king briefly, but abdicated in 1936 to marry divorcee Wallace Simpson.
    
     
2.
Twigs and Branches
From an early photo session, circa 1902. The two photos (right) show the same stick, and also a detail of the handle.
 
Left: Harry Lauder, from the 1927 film "Huntingtower".

Right: jeweler Arnold Rhodes with one of Lauder's sticks.
  
Far right, Harry Lauder and Charlie Chaplin in 1918.  They've swapped sticks and hats.  This is the same stick that Harry is cradling in his lap in the photo near the top of this page (circa 1945).
 
     
3.
Heavy Sticks
The two photos (right) show the same stick.
 
 
 
 
   
     
4.
Canes and Walking Sticks
The four photographs (right and below) show the same cane, circa 1940.  The inlaid bands are most likely silver (see auction catalogue item 992).
 
 
 
 
 
 
5.
Crops and Crooks
 
The photo on the far right is a "still" from the unreleased 1920 film "All For The Sake Of Mary"
 
 
 
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