Jay Gould was a leading American railroad developer and speculator. He has been portrayed as one of the ruthless robber barons of the Gilded Age, whose success at business made him one of the richest men of his era. He was hated and reviled, with few defenders then or now. He purchased the Lyndhurst Mansion and grounds in 1880, an estate of more than 400 acres overlooking the Hudson River.

I made this image in the mansion's entrance hall. Gould's own cane, capped by a gilded head of a eagle, was the first thing that I noticed as I entered Lyndhurst. It stands out, a contrasting to the dark, richly carved and engraved wood and metal hat and cane rack that supports it.

The eagle is a bird of prey. Gould was a man of prey. Gold is a symbol of wealth. Gould died leaving a fortune estimated at $77 million. Gould's gold cane is a symbol of his masculinity, urbanity, and wealth. If anyone should have tried to attack him, the head of this cane would have made a formidable weapon. Gould's cane makes an ideal symbol to sum up the character of the man himself.