Parasol

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Parasols, such as this, reached miniature sizes in the 1850s and 1860s. Coincidentally, the size of hats at this time was also small. This parasol was a frivolity which served no function but acted as an adornment around the head, serving the purpose of a large hat. This piece is special, for fewer parasols from this period exist in museums than from the 1870s onward.

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