Have you ever stopped to think of how the umbrella came to be invented? Researchers argue of the exact origin of where umbrellas were first conceived. Some people believe that it was China, yet others show evidence of ancient drawings depicting the Egyptians using a device similar to an umbrella. It is a widely accepted fact however that the umbrella has been around for a few thousand years. The very first version of the umbrella was not intended as protection from the rain. Rather, it was more similar to a parasol and provided relief from the sun.

In ancient times, you could probably find many slaves carrying these umbrella-type devices for their masters to shade them from the sun. These umbrellas that we take for granted today were seen as items of luxury, highly regarded in royal courts. The Chinese are credited with waterproofing their parasols and creating the first “rain” umbrella.

These rain umbrellas were made from a variety of materials. The “skeleton” or support frame was often made from wood or whale bone and covered in materials like linen or silk. They were waterproofed by rubbing oil or wax over the materials so that water would repel from it. There were just a few little problems with that particular method of waterproofing. For one, if someone used that waterproofed umbrella as protection from the sun, the oil or wax would melt, thoroughly defeating the purposes of those waterproofing efforts. Secondly, back then, the people would fold up their umbrellas and carry them under their arm, almost like a fashion accessory. And guess what happened? The oil and wax ruined the clothing.

Experiments with other materials were only partially successful. Leather proved to be great protection as a rain umbrella, but it retained a lot of the water and it was weighty. The best material was alpaca wool. It was a lightweight fiber and naturally water resistant. The only problem with alpaca was that it was imported from South America and therefore expensive for everyone but the most affluent clientele. It wasn’t until the mid-nineteenth century that steel was incorporated into the support frame of the rain umbrella. It replaced the expensive wood and brittle whale bone that was used up until that time.

As the rain umbrellas evolved into new materials, the use of them also evolved. In ancient times, only royalty used them. Umbrellas then gradually evolved as acceptable items for ladies to utilize. It wasn’t until the mid-eighteenth century that men really started publicly using the umbrella. Until that time, men using umbrellas were viewed as wimps or of questionable sexual orientation.

Today, the umbrella is primarily used as protection from the rain and made using steel collapsible frames with waterproof material like nylon. They are easy to store and dry quickly. These rain umbrellas also come in a variety of sizes from small ones that could fit in the palm of your hand to big ones that could double as a walking stick.

So the next time you expect Mother Nature’s showers, pull out your rain umbrella and ponder the history of this device all of us take for granted. Of course, if you are like a lot of people, you probably left your rain umbrella in the car or house where it could do you the least amount of good. During those times, you don’t take the rain umbrella for granted do you?

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