This simple and usefully elegant item of rainy days has a long and interesting history.
Evidence of umbrellas in ancient history date back to four thousand years ago, through wall paintings in Greece, Egypt and China. These were intitally used as parasols, that is, to provide shade from the sun. It is thought that the Chinese were the first to waterproof their umbrellas for use in the rain.
The very word originates from the Latin root word 'umbra', meaning shade. It became a popular item in the 16th century, however it was an accessory deemed to be suitable only for women. This is where Jonas Hanway comes in, the man to which the invention of the umbrella is popularly attributed. In rainy weather, he took to carrying an umbrella around, so as to cleverly shield away the rain. At first, he was ridiucled mercilessly.. but over the span of thirty years the idea caught on and before long the umbrella soon became a popular essential amongst gentlemen and ladies. In England, the umbrella used to be referred to as a 'Hanway'.
The first umbrella shop was opened in 1830, "James Smith and sons" and is interestingly still located on its original site, 53 New Oxford Street in London, England.
Early European umbrellas were made of wood or whalebone and covered with alpaca or oiled canvas. The artisans made the curved handles for the umbrellas out of hard woods like ebony.
In 1852, Samuel Fox invented the steel ribbed umbrella design. He also founded the "English Steels Company", and claimed to have invented the steel ribbed umbrella as a way of using up stocks of farthingale stays, steel stays used in women's corsets.
Compact collapsible umbrellas were the next major technical innovation in umbrella manufacture, over a century later.