Surprisingly, the first umbrellas weren't made to protect people from the rain, but shield them from the sun. Umbrellas were initially developed in Ancient Egypt where sunshades were used to protect nobility and royalty from harsh sun rays. Early sunshades were made from stretched papyrus or palm leaves attached to a stick.
Eventually, in the 11th century BC, the Chinese started to adapt umbrellas to suit their changing weather conditions. Waterproof umbrellas were made to protect nobility from rain and snow, and silk, tiered umbrellas were used to further display social standing. The emperor would always have 4 tiers, and as the tradition spread to other regions, some umbrellas had 8 to 24 tiers.
Umbrellas continued to spread throughout Asia, Europe and the Americas. Fair skin used to be a status symbol, whereas tanned skin was associated with the working class. This perception changed in 1920, when Coco Chanel accidentally fell asleep on her boat in the French Riviera and was completely sunburnt. Her accidental tan set a trend in motion, associating tans with heavy travelers, that persists a century later.
While umbrellas became less of an everyday necessity, since people were embracing tanning, they remained a popular staple for beachgoers. Beatrice Hunter, of Montreal, Canada, capitalized on this trend, and, in 1940 patented a beach umbrella design. Mr. Hunter’s design allowed beach umbrellas to be easily moved through a collapsable base and had hooks to conveniently store items.
