Sun Parasols

When did a rain umbrella convert into a sun shade? Well the answer to the question is that it always was a sun shade and was only adopted much later as a portable rain shield

The first umbrellas (or more correctly parasols) were associated with rank and there is early evidence of this is Egypt around 1200 B.C. It was a sign of nobility for a person to have fair skin and the parasol’s protection against the sun was widely chosen by royalty to ensure the skin would not tan. In Assyria it was the King’s privilege and no one but he could carry an umbrella. The status symbol of an umbrella was certainly evident in other parts of the world at this time, not so much for their size, but for the number of tiers as this implied both wealth and power. Records show that the Emperor of China’s parasol had four tiers and the King of Siam’s seven or nine, each having an elaborate fringe and tassels. Ancient writings found in Ava in Burma, described the ruler as “King of the White Elephants” and Lord of the twenty-Four Parasols”. In African, the umbrella is still regarded as emblem of rank.