An umbrella (parasol or rarely parapluie) is a folding canopy supported by wooden or metal ribs that is mounted on a wooden, metal, or plastic pole. It is usually designed to protect a person against sun or rain. Initially, (in the early 1200s) they were used in warmer countries for shade from the sun, but later evolved to also be used for protection from rain. Etymologically, the term umbrella is to be used when protecting from the sun, but is also commonly used when protecting from rain. Some countries specifically use the words parasol and parapluie to differentiate based on their use. There are also combinations of parasol and parapluie that are called en-tout-cas (French for "in any case"). A modern hand-held umbrella or parasol may have a black exterior canopy and a silver inner coating, for better protection from both the sun and ultraviolet rays, and may be water-resistant.
In general, umbrellas are small, handheld, personal use items. There are two main types of umbrellas: completely collapsible umbrellas, which can be folded up into a small package because of the supporting metal pole's ability to retract, and non-collapsible umbrellas, where only the canopy can be folded up. Handheld umbrellas have a type of handle which can be made from wood or plastic in a bent "crook" handle (like the handle of a cane). Umbrellas are available in a range of price and quality points, ranging from inexpensive, modest quality models sold at discount stores to expensive, finely made, designer-labeled models. Manually operated umbrellas and spring-loaded automatic umbrellas, which open with a button press, can also be distinguished from one another. Larger parasols capable of blocking the sun for several people are often used as fixed or semi-fixed devices, used with patio tables or other outdoor furniture, or as points of shade on a sunny beach.
Etymology
The word evolved from the Latin umbra, meaning 'shadow' or 'shade from light' as it provided a shade from the sun. The Oxford English Dictionary records the first recorded usage in this sense in 1611.
The word is a combination of the Latin (to 'parry', 'ward off', 'shield') and ('sun'). The mostly nineteenth century , from French, also combines with ('rain'), in turn derived from Latin . Again, French is a combination of with ('snow'), also from Latin . Hence, a parasol shields from sunlight, a parapluie shields from rain, and a paraneige shields from snow.
In Britain, umbrellas were sometimes referred to as "gamps" after the character Mrs. Gamp in Charles Dickens' novel Martin Chuzzlewit as the character was well known for carrying an umbrella, although this usage is now dated or obsolete.
In India the word छात्र (chhatra) has been used since ancient times. It represents, that which gives छाया (chhaya), meaning shade or shadow from the Sun.
Brolly is a slang shortening of umbrella, often found in Australia, Ireland, Kenya, New Zealand, South Africa, and the UK.
Bumbershoot is a rare and fanciful Americanism from the late 19th century.
An umbrella may also be called a sunshade, rainshade, snowshade, or beach umbrella (US English).
History
Africa
Ancient Egypt
The earliest known umbrellas in Ancient Egyptian art date back to the Fifth Dynasty, around 2450 BC.White Muscarella, Oscar (1999): "Parasols in the Ancient Near East", "Source: Notes in the History of Art", Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 1–7 (1) The umbrella is found in various shapes. Typically it is depicted as a flabellum, a fan of palm-leaves or coloured feathers fixed on a long handle, resembling those now carried behind the Pope in processions. Gardiner Wilkinson, in his work on Egypt, has an engraving of an Ethiopian princess travelling through Upper Egypt in a chariot; a kind of umbrella fastened to a stout pole rises in the centre, bearing a close affinity to what are now termed chaise umbrellas. According to Wilkinson's account, the umbrella was generally used throughout Egypt, partly as a mark of distinction, but more on account of its useful than its ornamental qualities. In some paintings on a temple wall, a parasol is held over the figure of a god carried in procession.
Ashanti Empire
Zeinab Badawi in An African History of Africa: From the Dawn of Humanity to Independence states the umbrella was introduced by the Dutch to the Ashanti, when Osei Kofi Tutu I received one as a gift following his defeat of the other Akan kingdoms. Later, in 1707, Sir Dalby Thomas asked the British to supply the Asante with umbrellas.Zeinab Badawi, An African History of Africa: From the Dawn of Humanity to Independence, p. 159 By the 1800s, the Amanhene (senior chiefs) were using large multicolored umbrellas. Umbrellas were used during festivals as streets of Kumasi were paraded with them. Like the Asantehene's umbrella bearer, the others also spin their umbrellas in tune with the music produced by drummers while accompanying their "Ohene". Umbrellas were also used to provide coolness as well as highlight the importance of the various leaders.
Americas
Mesoamerica
The district of the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan was reported to have used an umbrella made from feathers and gold as its pantli, an identifying marker that is the equivalent of a modern flag. The pantli was carried by the army general."Mexico - Pre-Hispanic Flags" Mexico — Pre-Hispanic Flags
United States Beehler Umbrella Factory est. 1828 was the first umbrella manufacturing company in the United States. Francis Beehler was a woodcarver in his home country of Germany. After he immigrated to Baltimore, Maryland, he noticed a lack of umbrellas. Americans generally scorned the devices for their "ridiculous effeminacy". Nevertheless he used his talents in making wooden poles and whale bone ribbed umbrellas to create a new market (steel rib designs would not appear until after 1852). Beehler's success attracted competitors. Baltimore was long recognized as the umbrella capital of the country; at the industry's peak in 1920 there were seven umbrella companies in the city producing millions of umbrellas annually.
Asia
Ancient Near East
The oldest extant example of an umbrella appears in the archaeological record around 2310 BC, in a victory stele of Sargon of Akkad.Simpson, Elizabeth (2014): "A Parasol from Tumulus P at Gordion", in: Engin, Atilla; Helwing, Barbara; Uysal, Bora (eds.): "Armizzi. Engin Özgen'e Armağan / Studies in Honor of Engin Özgen", Ankara, pp. 237–246 (239), In later sculptures at Nineveh, the umbrella appears frequently.Sangster, William, 1808–1888. Umbrellas and Their History. London: Cassell, Petter, and Galpin . Available online as Gutenberg etext 6674, retrieved March 2005 . Austen Henry Layard gives a picture of a bas-relief representing a king in his chariot, with an attendant holding an umbrella over his head, dating from c. 710 BC. It has a curtain hanging down behind, but is otherwise exactly like those in use today. It is reserved exclusively for the monarch (who was bald), and is never carried over any other person.
In Persia, the umbrella is repeatedly found in the carved work of Persepolis, and Sir John Malcolm has an article on the subject in his 1815 "History of Persia." In some sculptures, the figure of a king appears attended by a servant, who carries over his head an umbrella, complete with stretchers and runner. In other sculptures on the rock at Taghe-Bostan, supposed to be not less than twelve centuries old, a deer-hunt is represented, at which a king looks on, seated on a horse, and having an umbrella borne over his head by an attendant.
China
The creation of the umbrella is attributed to the wife of Lu Ban, who invented it during the Warring State Period. Some investigators have supposed that its invention was first created by tying large leaves to bough-like ribs (the branching out parts of an umbrella). Others assert that the idea was probably derived from the tent, which remains in an unaltered form to the present day. However, the tradition existing in China is that it originated in standards and banners waving in the air, hence the use of the umbrella was often linked to high-ranking (though not necessarily royalty) in China. The use of umbrella as a social marker indicating and classifying the identities and social class of its users started by the post-Wei period and continued up to the Ming dynasty. On at least one occasion, twenty-four umbrellas were carried before the emperor when he went out hunting. The umbrella served in this case as a defence against rain rather than sun. The Chinese and Japanese traditional parasol, often used near temples, remains similar to the original ancient Chinese design.
The ancient book of Chinese ceremonies, called Zhou Li (The Rites of Zhou), dating some 2,400 years ago, directs that a dais should be placed upon the imperial cars. The figure of this dais contained in Zhou Li, and the description of it given in the explanatory commentary of Lin-hi-ye, both identify it with an umbrella. The latter describes the dais to be composed of 28 arcs, which are equivalent to the ribs of the modern instrument, and the staff supporting the covering to consist of two parts, the upper being a rod 3/18 of a Chinese foot in circumference, and the lower a tube 6/10 in circumference, into which the upper half is capable of sliding and closing.
The Book of Han contains a reference to a collapsible umbrella, mentioning its usage in the year 21 AD when Wang Mang (r. 9–23) had one designed for a ceremonial four-wheeled carriage.Needham, Joseph (1986). Science and Civilization in China: Volume 4, Physics and Physical Technology, Part 2: Mechanical Engineering. Taipei: Caves Books, Ltd. Page 70. The 2nd-century commentator Fu Qian added that this collapsible umbrella of Wang Mang's carriage had bendable joints which enabled them to be extended or retracted.Needham, Joseph (1986). Science and Civilization in China: Volume 4, Physics and Physical Technology, Part 2: Mechanical Engineering. Taipei: Caves Books, Ltd. Page 70–71. A 1st century collapsible umbrella has since been recovered from the tomb of Wang Guang at Lelang Commandery in the Korean Peninsula.Needham, Joseph (1986). Science and Civilization in China: Volume 4, Physics and Physical Technology, Part 2: Mechanical Engineering. Taipei: Caves Books, Ltd. Page 71. The Chinese collapsible umbrella may predate Wang's tomb, however. Zhou dynasty bronze castings of complex bronze socketed hinges with locking slides and bolts—which could have been used for parasols and umbrellas—were found in an archeological site of Luoyang, dated to the 6th century BC.
A late Song dynasty Chinese divination book, Book of Physiognomical, Astrological and Ornithomantic Divination according to the Three Schools () by Yuan Tianwang (), that was printed in about 1270 AD features a picture of a collapsible umbrella that is exactly like the modern umbrella of today's China.
The oil-paper umbrella also originated in China and was spread among the common people after the Eastern Han dynasty. It started to be introduced in other countries in the Tang dynasty and eventually spread across several East, South and Southeast Asian countries such as Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, where it has been further developed with different characteristics.
Ancient India
The Sanskrit epic Mahabharata relates the following legend: Jamadagni was a skilled bow shooter, and his devoted wife Renuka would always recover each of his arrows immediately. One time however, it took her a whole day to fetch the arrow, and she later blamed the heat of the sun for the delay. The angry Jamadagni shot an arrow at the sun. The sun begged for mercy and offered Renuka a "chatra" (umbrella).