Umbrellas and parasols: from luxury accessories to everyday objects

Let's take a look back at the history of umbrellas and parasols this spring, when rain and good weather alternate.

In the 19th century, these two objects were more than just accessories to keep out the rain and sun: they were symbols of social class.

At that time, the materials usually used to make umbrellas and parasols were wood, rush and whalebone, as well as various high-quality, rare and even precious metals and fabrics, such as ivory, mother-of-pearl, and even gold and silver.

Their use required technical know-how, and particular care was taken with the finishing touches. Over time, new materials such as aluminium, rubber and celluloid were introduced, with the latter developed to imitate ivory around 1850.

On the technical side, a patented system used ball bearings for the first time, a technique that until then was reserved for bicycles and the fledgling car industry. Umbrellas and parasols were therefore expensive objects that conveyed an image of luxury and elegance.

Although folding umbrellas and parasols first appeared well before the 19th century, it was during this period that inventors worked to perfect them so that they took up less space, and could be carried almost anywhere by means of springs and hinges.

A little later, the advent of machinery led to the gradual mechanisation of manufacturing, at the same time as the object became standardised and evolved into the version we know today.

The emergence of companies capable of setting up specialised production of either parts or finished products meant that they could offer cheaper items to a wider range of customers.

Seen through the lens of nineteenth-century patents, these developments illustrate the transformation of a craft into an industry, of a luxury item into an everyday consumer item.