Parasol

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

A special feature of this parasol is its telescoping handle, which lengthens from 14 1/2 inches closed to 21 1/2" when fully extended. Makers of parasols and umbrellas were an inventive lot who relentlessly worked on designs that would improve or differentiate their products from their competitors.

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