Parasol

G. Fox & Company

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Parasols, such as the one featured; with black satin canopies overlaid with black lace are quintessential examples of the 1880s. This particular parasol is of very high quality. The G. Fox Company patented its Paragon ribs in 1852 and the key feature of the ribs were their U-shape (rather than a tubular form) which allowed the mechanism to close much more closely to the shank, and this construction overtook all other types of mechanisms after that point. The handle on this parasol is beautifully carved with a vaguely Asian aesthetic. The swirls are reminiscent of swirling streams of Japanese art.

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