Parasol

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The parasol featured is made with two sheer fabrics of different colors, and one can imagine that the combination of the black and claret with the sun shining through would be very beautiful and opulent for both the observer and the wearer. The handle of this parasol is of great interest, for it is carved to imitate alligator skin which is more associated with tailored objects and is in contrast to the ultimate frothiness of the canopy. Generally, handles on parasols were highly ornate and often had a different character from the frilliness of the canopies, this parasol being a testament to this fact.

The Costume Institute

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Costume Institute's collection of more than thirty-three thousand objects represents seven centuries of fashionable dress and accessories for men, women, and children, from the fifteenth century to the present.

Metropolitan Museum of Art