Secrets of the Umbrella, a History in Fashion and Design

By the end of World War II, umbrella production had come to a near-complete standstill. Once it revived, umbrellas were marketed to both men and women but gendered designs still remained. Today, while umbrella designs may seem gendered, who carries them is now universal. 

The work of umbrella-making was highly specialized and specifically gendered. Umbrellas had been produced in discrete stages and in separate locations.

First, the frames were assembled by small masters and their assistants in London. The frame makers were paid three farthings, which is one quarter of a penny per frame.

Second, the frames were covered with fabric by women and girls in their own homes. These women and girls were paid one penny to eight pennies for each cover depending on quality and the amount of labor. Females were paid more due to the intricacies of threading the covers to the frames.

Lastly, the handles and ferrules were attached in warehouses.

The first European umbrella frames were made with whalebone. Whalebone was then replaced by wood, then steel, then aluminum, and fiblerglass. Pictured below is an eighteeth century steel frame.  

The parasol handle shown below is made of wood and ivory. The handle is believed to have come from Africa or India and then it was mounted in England.

Cinematographers were unable to resist the appeal of adding umbrellas to movies. The physical object, the umbrella, gives the illusion of being outside. American playwright, Sarah Ruhl stated, “A real thing…creates a world of illusory things”.

A great example of this illusion is in the 1952 movie “Singing in the Rain”. We are provided the view of rain spattering on the pavement as Lockwood (Gene Kelly) swings from a lamppost with his folded umbrella in his hand. The umbrella represents Lockwood's unshakeable optimism, while the rain represents a new life. 

List of pages: