The transformation of the umbrella
by Natasha Christou Digital Marketing ConsultantIn the UK, the umbrella is a
necessary accessory if you want to stay protected from the elements.
With more than ten million pounds spent a year on the weather prop, it’s been
well and truly adopted into the British household of 2018.
However, this hasn’t always been the case.
Before, only the elite carried the
accessory — and certainly not for rain protection. From where
the umbrella originated to the unusual transformations it’s taken to reach the
design and use we recognise today, read all about the odd
evolution of the umbrella…
400-300 BC: parasols and high-ranking
figures
Thousands of years ago, umbrellas were
very much part of civilisation — albeit for a different reason to
why we use the accessory today. A brolly around the 4th century
BC was used solely to protect our
ancestors from the sun — otherwise known today as a
parasol. In fact, the term parasol is derived from the Spanish
words for stop (para) and sun (sol). Similarly, the world
‘umbrella’ comes from the Latin word for shade — umbra — which
shows that previous generations found them handier for sun safeguarding than
water resistance.
So, who used the parasol or umbrella? Some argue that
the accessory was actually a part of ancient Chinese society as far back as
2,000 BC, however, this has never been confirmed. What we do know
is that the ancient Greeks, Romans, Chinese, Egyptians, and
civilizations in India and the Middle East all used a parasol,
and sculptures have even been found depicting the use of the
prop in various locations across ancient Egypt. Most
commonly, parasols were used by high-ranking women, members of the clergy, and
other powerful public figures. Unlike today, it was a clear symbol of rank and
superiority.
But what did the umbrella of the ancient world look
like? Of course, we don’t know for certain, but many predict that the design of
the parasol canopy was influenced by large, shady, overhanging tree
branches. Early umbrellas and parasols were often made from leaves, feathers
and branches — but the overall form appears very similar to modern designs.
As centuries passed, the umbrella started to spread
across continental Europe and the known world. Some people think that the
brolly came to the UK with the Norman Invasion of 1066, while others claim it
was introduced to our society by King Charles II’s wife, the
Portuguese Catherine of Braganza, bringing it with her after the
wedding in the mid-1600s. Unfortunately, nobody knows for sure.
1600s: using your umbrella in the rain
Clearly, the brolly has been a staple part of society
for thousands of years, but when did humans begin using it to protect them from
rain? Most people place the date that we started using the umbrella
to keep us dry in the 1600s, and according to accounts, England,
Italy and France pioneered the trend.
The umbrella of the 1600s had a clear obstacle to
overcome before it could effectively be used for moisture protection —
at this time, most umbrellas were made from silk. Of course, this limited
its use, but, apart from the difference in fabric and the fact that only
privileged people owned one, the outline of the 17th-century umbrella mirrors what we see
today. Thankfully, by the very end of this century, designers were
beginning to hone waterproofing techniques…
1700s: introducing the men’s brolly
Strangely, carriages and coffee
houses encouraged the need for the umbrella throughout the 18th century. During this
era, coffee houses were extremely popular and the wealthy in society would
often need a brolly to keep them dry as they walked from their mode of
transport into the social venue.
Between approximately 1700 and 1750, the use of
umbrellas rocketed — although they were still a female-only fashion
accessory. In the latter half of the 18th century, Jonas Hanway took
it upon himself to launch a trend in men’s umbrellas, protecting himself with a
rain umbrella as he traversed the streets of London. He put up with
intense ridicule for his daring style at first, but eventually, men came around
and the trend took off. By the turn of the 19th century, the rain umbrella became
a common accessory for both men and women. It was also during this era
that the term ‘Hanway’ was used as another name for an umbrella!
Evidently, the trend for the brolly was picking up
pace for both men and women, but what did the umbrella of the 1700s look
like? The answer is: very similar in structure, but extremely different in
material. Throughout the 1700s, umbrellas were created from whalebone mounted
atop a long stick and then covered in a heavy cotton fabric doused in oil or
wax to ensure a more waterproof product. It would take a few more years
yet before improved fabrics and materials would be used in umbrella
construction.
1800s: men’s vs. women’s umbrellas
Throughout the 19th century, the increase of men using
umbrellas brought with it a stark contrast in style and structure. For example,
men’s umbrellas were much heavier than women’s — weighing
around four pounds — while ladies umbrellas were smaller and still often
made using silk.
Positively, the demand for brollies boosted the need
to create more cost-effective designs for the less wealthy, which helped more
people afford what once was a luxury item. For
example, there was an option to have your umbrella made from split
cane rather than whale bone; the former material being much cheaper
in price than the latter, although lower in quality. The umbrellas of
the Victorian Era were sometimes made from wood — which were hard to fold —
until the 1850s, when Samuel Fox created the steel-ribbed brolly.
1900s: the launch of the pocket brolly
Despite the fact that it had been a staple fashion
accessory and symbol of superiority for privileged ladies for thousands of
years, by the turn of the 1900s, rich women lost interest in
using stylish parasols. Eventually, these disappeared from
fashion around the 1930s, as more women became inclined to favour tanned skin over the powder-white
complexions of the past.
As for the size and weight of the umbrella in the
early 20th century, German Hans Haupt helped
make a compact, easy-to-hold version in 1928 with the world’s first pocket
umbrella. Soon, the foldable umbrella market took off!
Today: the rise of the tech umbrella
Today, using umbrellas as accessories has no gender,
and we can find as many for men as we can for women. Although today, umbrella
brands do a great job in balancing fashionable designs with technical and
weather-ready features to create a product fit for style and utility — which
has taken a while to master.
From patio umbrellas large enough to protect a garden
table, to compact brollies we can fit perfectly in our handbags, the umbrella
is now available in a multitude of sizes. Today, you can find windproof umbrellas designed to withstand intense rain and gusts without
turning inside out — a major bugbear of the brolly user — as well as tech
umbrellas enhanced with gadgets, like GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth!
So, what’s next for the umbrella? From the bones and
feathers of the past to the treated nylon and fibreglass of today, umbrellas
have had an interesting evolution. But with the advances in technology and the
demand for fashion, who knows what we can expect for the former parasol in
the future.
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Created on Apr 2nd 2020 07:51. Viewed 432 times.