The actual origin of the umbrella is so ancient as to be lost. Perhaps
the umbrella was evolved from a primitive shelter of leaves carried by Adam
long before the earliest known civilizations. As social life developed from
family to tribe and from tribe to small kingdoms the leafy shelter developed
into a canopy, which became more ornamental and converted into a symbol of
rank.
Apparently, the
umbrella entered Europe via Greece, Italy and Turkey. Tradition has that the Normans brought the umbrella to England with them, presumably as some
sort of canopy regalia, in 1066. Jonas Hanway was the first Englishman to carry
an umbrella regularly. (Gays Trivia: “The Art of Walking the Streets of
London,” 1712) In those days, the only covered transport was the private coach
or Sedan chair. The umbrellas were very heavy, made with whalebone or
cane ribs, mounted on a long, stout stick of about 1" in diameter and
covered with a heavy cotton fabric, waterproofed by oiling or waxing. Only on a
few public buildings had gutters and fall-pipes. The water simply ran off the
roof into the street. Sometimes it was collected in gutters under the attics
and poured out like a miniature Niagara Falls, through the mouths of grotesque
gargoyles at each corner of the building. The choice was then either to
carry one of these portable tents or get soaked wet. By 1787, the umbrella had
achieved some considerable measure of popularity within a short period of time
and the French ladies’ umbrellas had achieved remarkable elegance. On the
continent, they were used as much as a sunshade as protection from rain.
And it is from this period and via the sunshade that umbrellas began to develop
into something lighter and more graceful. This was partly due to the use of
finer fabric of silk and by the substitution of lighter materials. In the late
1800's came the development of the Fox
Steel Ribs and Frames, and so the modern umbrella was born.
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