Antique Walking Stick Cane 18Ct Gold Pommel by Brigg's Late 19th C 91cm 36"

Thomas Brigg, the eldest child of Charles Brigg, was born on March 29, 1805. In 1828, he established a separate retail location for the family business at 23 St. James Street. By August 1829, Thomas began diversifying the business by introducing new lines, including umbrellas, which quickly gained importance. By April 1830, Charles Brigg identified himself as an umbrella maker in his will. Following Charles's passing, his daughters inherited the Charing Cross branch, while Thomas took over the St. James branch.
 
In 1838, just a decade after founding his business, Thomas Brigg's shop at No. 23 St. James's Street was labelled as "Brigg - Umbrella, Cane & Whip Maker" on John Tallis's pictorial plan of the area. Recognising the popularity of walking sticks as a gentleman's accessory, Brigg decided to expand his range to include high-quality walking sticks in 1838. These sticks, rooted in seventeenth-century tradition and popularised by dandies in the late eighteenth century, became essential components of a stylish gentleman's wardrobe.
 
Thomas and his wife Fanny had at least six children, with the eldest born in 1831 eventually taking over the family business. They worked together until around 1850, and it is believed that shortly after William's twenty-first birthday, the business adopted the name Brigg & Sons. Later, when another son named Thomas, born in 1845, joined the business, it was renamed Thomas Brigg & Sons.