UMBRELLAS, PARASOLS, & BUMBERSHOOTS

 

By Mary Davis

 

In preparation for April showers—whether you get rain showers, snow showers, or you’re showered with sunshine—I thought I would take a look at those devices that keep the weather off of us.

 

I love umbrellas because they remind me of rain, and I LOVE rain. Rain is so refreshing and cleans the air. Rain creates friction in the air, which produces negative ions. We breathe in these invisible, odorless, tasteless, mood-lifting molecules, and when the negative ions reach the bloodstream, it’s believed they increase serotonin, which can help lessen depression, reduce stress, and boost energy. Yay! I LOVE rain.

 

However, umbrellas (a.k.a. Parasols, bumbershoots, and an assortment of other names) weren’t initially created for the rain. Their original purpose was as a sun shade in dry climates like desert areas. The root word “Umbra” means shade or shadow in Latin. Parasol is formed from two French words, “para” meaning “to protect from” and “sol” meaning “sun”.

 

There is evidence of umbrellas in ancient civilization such as Assyria, China, Egypt, Greece, and others, dating back more than 4,000 years. The earliest known reference to this shading device is from the Mesopotamian Civilization in West Asia. These umbrellas were fashioned from palm leaves or papyrus. In the early days, they were used mainly by the wealthy.

 

The Chinese were the first to wax or lacquer their paper parasols so they could stave off the rain.

 

There was a period of about a thousand years where umbrellas seemed to disappear before reemerging.

 

Parasols arrived in France from Italy by way of Catherine de Medici when she married King Henry II. Since the ladies in the court naturally wanted to copy the queen, parasols became an instant new fashion.

 

Lightweight folding umbrellas were popularized by Jean Marius, a Parisian merchant, in 1710. Before this, they were cumbersome and seemed like they might have been a rigid, static device.

 

Umbrellas and parasols were viewed as a lady’s accessory, while men toughed out the harsh weather with their hats and overcoats. Then along came Jonas Hanway, a Parisian traveler and writer. He was the first man to boldly wield his umbrella publicly for thirty years in England, making way for the rest of the men to do likewise. These umbrellas that men used were referred to as a “Hanway.”

 

James Smith and Sons opened their door at 53 New Oxford Street in London England in 1830. It was the first store to sell exclusively umbrellas and is still at that location.

 

Samuel Fox, founder of the English Steels Company, created an umbrella with steel ribs instead of the usual cane or whale bone in 1852. He claimed he was using up corset farthing stays. He patented his design and allowed James Smith & Sons to sell it in their shop.

 

Since at least 1902—probably farther back—ladies have been using their parasols (or umbrellas) for defense if attacked. The Daily Mirror article in 1902 instructed women how to do this. The weighty steel construction made it a good choice to protect oneself from more than just the weather in a pinch.

 

However, the value of using an umbrella for defense goes back farther. In Baron Charles Random de Berenger’s 1835 book How to protect Life and Property, there are a number of techniques for using an umbrella as an impromptu weapon. J. F Sullivan wrote an article for the Lugate Monthly in 1897 that described the umbrella as a “misunderstood weapon.” And between 1899 and 1902, Bartitsu (an English eclectic martial arts and self-defense method) taught the use of both umbrellas and canes to protect oneself.

 

A huge innovation came to the umbrella in 1928. Hans Haupt created a telescopic pocket umbrella, receiving a patent for it in September of 1929. This compact umbrella was produced by an Austrian company. In Germany, it was manufactured by the Knirps company, and became known as Knirps there.

 

Many innovations have been made since, and today umbrellas come in many varieties, from the typical kinds to those you can put on your head or ones that are “stormproof.”

 

THE QUILTING CIRCLE SERIES Box Set

Historical Romance Series

By Mary Davis

THE WIDOW’S PLIGHT (Book1) – Will a secret clouding a single mother’s past cost Lily her loved ones?

THE DAUGHTER’S PREDICAMENT (Book2) *SELAH & WRMA Finalist* – As Isabelle’s romance prospects turn in her favor, a family scandal derails her dreams.

THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (Book3) *SELAH Winner* – Nicole heads down the mountain to fetch herself a husband. Can she learn to be enough of a lady to snag the handsome rancher?

THE DÉBUTANTE’S SECRET (Book4) – Complications arise when a fancy French lady steps off the train and into Deputy Montana’s arms.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CNZPRRS2/ref=sr_1_7?crid=3NJNTQ5SD1WGB&keywords=the+quilting+circle+by+mary+davis&qid=1700957455&s=digital-text&sprefix=%2Cdigital-text%2C155&sr=1-7

 

MARY DAVIS, bestselling, award-winning novelist, has over thirty titles in both historical and contemporary themes. Her latest release is THE LADY’S MISSION. Her other novels include THE DÉBUTANTE'S SECRET (Quilting Circle Book 4) THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (The Quilting Circle Book 3) is a SELAH Award Winner. Some of her other recent titles include; THE WIDOW'S PLIGHT, THE DAUGHTER'S PREDICAMENT, “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in The MISSAdventure Brides Collection, Prodigal Daughters Amish series, "Holly and Ivy" in A Bouquet of Brides Collection, and "Bygones" in Thimbles and Threads. She is a member of ACFW and active in critique groups.

Mary lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband of thirty-seven years and one cat. She has three adult children and three incredibly adorable grandchildren. Find her online at: Books2Read Newsletter Blog FB FB Readers Group Amazon GoodReads BookBub
 

Sources

https://www.thoughtco.com/who-invented-the-umbrella-1992592

http://www.umbrellahistory.net/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umbrella

https://www.farmersalmanac.com/umbrella-history-and-facts

https://historycooperative.org/when-was-the-umbrella-invented/

https://www.umbrellaworkshop.com/umbrellas/history-of-the-umbrella/

Historic French Châteaux, Part 3: Château de Chenonceau

by J. M. Hochstetler

Southeast view of Château de Chenonceau

This is the third installment of a series I’m doing on historic French châteaux. France has a seemingly endless supply of these richly historic structures because of all the wars fought on its lands during the medieval period. The French word château applies to more than the English word castle, including palaces, mansions, and even vineyards, but for this series I’m focusing on actual castles and palaces. Today we’re taking a look at the très romantique Château de Chenonceau, which spans the River Cher near the village of Chenonceaux. It’s one of the most visited châteaux of the Loire Valley.
Mention of the fief of Chenonceau first appears

View from west with 15th-century keep in foreground

in historical records in the 11th century. It was owned by Jean Marques when the original château was put to the torch in 1412 as punishment for his sedition. He rebuilt it and added a fortified mill on the site in the 1430s, but in 1513 his heavily indebted heir, Pierre Marques, sold the estate to Thomas Bohier, chamberlain to King Charles VIII. Bohier demolished most of the structure, retaining its 15th-century keep, shown in the photo at right, and built the main part of the existing château between 1514 and 1522 on the foundations of the old mill. Bohier and his wife, Catherine Briçonnet, hosted many French nobles there and also King Francis I a couple of times.

The château with del’Orme’s bridge without the gallery

Francis I in turn seized the château from Bohier’s son in 1535 for unpaid debts to the crown. After his death in 1547, King Henry II gave the château to his mistress, Diane de Poitiers, who engaged the French Renaissance architect Philibert de l’Orme to build the arched bridge across the river. She added extensive flower and vegetable gardens and fruit trees along the river’s banks, laid out in four triangles in the formal sculpted French design, with stone terraces to protect against flooding. The crown retained ownership of the chateau until 1555, however, when Poitiers finally gained full possession after years of legal maneuvering. Which, unfortunately didn’t count for much since after the king’s death in 1559 his formidable widow and regent, Catherine de’ Medici, forced Poitiers out and made it her own favorite residence. Hence the château’s nickname of Le Château des Dames. As queens will do, Catherine spent extravagantly, adding new gardens and throwing spectacular nighttime parties. France’s first fireworks display took place in 1560 as part of the celebrations surrounding her son’s crowning as Francis II.

Interior of the gallery that spans the river

Designed by Jean Bullant, the grand gallery that extends the length of the bridge and sets the château apart from any others was built between 1570 and 1576. Catherine also added rooms between the chapel and the library and a service wing on the west side of the entry courtyard. After her death in January 1589 the estate went to her daughter-in-law, Louise of Lorraine, wife of King Henry III. It would not be a happy residence for her, however. Just a few months later, in August 1589, she received news there of her husband’s assassination and spent the next 11 years, until her death in 1601, dressed in mourning and wandering the château’s corridors, which she had draped with somber black tapestries depicting skulls and crossbones.

During the following years the château changed hands numerous times, and many of its fine furnishings were sold off. The property gradually fell into neglect until the 18th century, when it under the ownership of the Dupin family it became a centre for arts and intellectuals with such notable Philosophes as Voltaire, Rousseau, and Montesquieu regularly attending gatherings there. When the property was threatened with destruction during the French Revolution, it was narrowly saved by Madame Dupin pointed out the bridge’s importance for local transport across the river.

The château was finally purchased n 1913 by the Menier family, famous for their chocolates, who still own it today. During WWI it was used as a hospital, and in WWII it became a link and escape route between the Nazi-occupied territory north of the Cher and the Vichy zone to the south. It suffered damage in the Cher River flood of 1940, and then again in June 1944, while occupied by the Germans. Bombed by the Allies, the chapel was hit and its windows destroyed.

In 1951 the Menier family hired Bernard Voisin to restore the dilapidated structure and the gardens to a reflection of its former glory. An architectural mixture of late Gothic and early Renaissance styles, the château and its gardens are open to the public, and with the exception of Versailles is the most visited château in France.

Enjoy the brief video below by Rick Steves on Chenonceau!

For me, there’s just something about that arched bridge over the river that makes Chenonceau an incredibly swoon-worthy castle, right in league with Neuschwanstein in Bavaria. What do you think? Do you have a favorite castle that just makes you sigh? Please share your fantasies with us!

~~~

J. M. Hochstetler is the daughter of Mennonite farmers and a lifelong student of history. She is a professional editor, a publisher, and the author of award-winning historical fiction whose books have been endorsed by bestselling authors such as Lori Benton, Laura Frantz, and Jocelyn Green. Her American Patriot Series is the only comprehensive historical fiction series on the American Revolution. She is also the author of One Holy Night, the Christian Small Publishers 2009 Book of the Year, and co-authored the award-winning Northkill Amish Series with Bob Hostetler.