These people must have been incomprehensibly adept at stilt walking, can you imagine using them everyday for work over decades? The closest thing we have today are circus performers, and even then I imagine they spend much less cumulative time ambling around on unsteady ground.
And maybe drywall people I think? Or painters? I’ve definitely seen construction workers using modern stilts to get them closer to the ceiling without needing a ladder. But I’m not really why or how often.
I really enjoyed the postal carrier on stilts. It’s got to be a lot more efficient in terms of distance covered for energy exerted.
Edit- It seems they’re called “painter’s stilts”[1] and I’m kind of tempted to buy a pair. Maybe a helmet, too. Just in case...
They don’t look like they’d be as agile and graceful as the stilts in the post though because they have the flat “foot”. Although they’re probably a lot safer and more comfortable.
For some tapers, they're up and down on stilts all day, every day. I've never done it myself, but I've seen the tapers at work on them, and they walk quite naturally and have no need for a walking stick (couldn't use one anyway when you're hands are full with a bazooka, etc.).
