The Fashion of Parasols

*This is a very informal study done in a couple of hours.  It does not account for all the nuances of fashion such as geographical area, social economic status, among other indicators of fashion.  However, I do want to show some evidence against the whole 'I have stuff from 20 years ago in my closet so I can wear 1840's accessories and 1850's dresses' or 'I don't wear fashionable clothes now so I can wear older stuff then', etc.  Compared with other sources such as diaries, newspaper adds, and store ledgers, it paints a more complete picture.  More to come.*

So dating parasols is all well and good, however, how does one actually know what parasols were used in the early 1860's?  Were people generally up to date on the latest parasol styles, or would one still see 1840's parasols in use in 1862?  Or something in between?

Let's start with dating.  The easiest way is to look at fashion plates.  Here's some with parasols.

1860.  The fringe that was popular in the 1850's is already gone.
We can't see the top side of parasol, but with no fringe, it's either plain
or has ruffles.  White lining seen.

1861.  Pink and white striped parasol.  No fringe or ruffles.
White lining.

1864.  No trim, just white lining showing on open parasol.
No trim on blue parasol except for fabric design.

1865.  Plain parasol.  Long finial.

1860.  Teal parasol with ruffles and white lace hanging down.
Doesn't appear to be lined.

1860.  Small white parasol with ruffles and a bow at top.
Long stick finial.

1861.  Light colored parasol trimmed with a ruffle.
Doesn't appear to be lined.

1861.  Purple ruffle is seen.  Parasol is lined in white.

1864.  Design is either small fringe or a fabric feature.
Long finial.

1865.  Small fringe; design on fabric.

1865.  Green parasol-possible slight fringe.  White lining.

1865.  Ruffles and lace.  Finials are shorter and have shapes on the ends.

1865.  Plain parasols with long finials.
One has short fringe the other has no trim.

Okay.  So a sweeping generalization of 1860's parasols has mostly plain and any trimmings are either fabric designs or ruffles until 1864 when you start seeing some very short fringe again.

What do 1850's parasols look like?  Let's start with 1850-1855.

1851.  Long finial, plain parasol.

1853.  Pink parasol, unlined, no trim.

1853. Long finial, blue silk, no trim.

1854.  Pagoda shape, pink parasol, short fringe, long finial.

1855.  Long finial with fringe.

1856.  Blue parasol with fringe.

Early 1850's parasols show long, often ornate finials with no or short fringe.  Later in the decade, we start seeing fringe that gets steadily longer.  The finials post 1854 are shorter, often with a bone ring through them.  Handles 1850-1854 show a small bone knob at the end, later hook handles come in.

Okay, now that we know what both 1850's and 1860's parasols look like, let's look at a collection of CDVs that show parasols and see how fashionable the parasols are based on the clothes people are wearing.

1860-1863 based on hair and bonnet.
Parasol shows a long finial and no trim.

1860-1863 based on bonnet and hair.
Parasol is plain and seems to have a long finial.  

1861-1863.  Plain parasol with no trim.

1860-1864.  Fashionable swiss waist and hat with veil.
Parasol is larger-probably a walking parasol.
No trim with long finial.

1860ish.  Older woman.
Parasol is a larger walking parasol with long finial and no fringe.

1865-1866.  Woman is very fashionable and appears to have a
very fashionable non-folding parasol that came in
from 1865-1868.

1864-1865.  No fringe and long finial.

1866.  No trim and medium length finial

1862-1864 based on sleeve and skirt shape.  Can't tell what's going on
with the parasol and whether the trim is fringe or lace.
If lace, perfectly fashionable.  If fringe, about 5 years out of date.

1860.  Lace parasol.

1862-1864.  Ruffled parasol with long finial.

1858-1864 (I'm terrible at dating kids).  No fringe, small parasol.

1862-1864.  Ruffled parasol with long finial.

1862-1864.  No trim, long finial.

1860-1862.  Older woman, re-worked fan front bodice.
Parasol is 1856-1860.  Possibly up to 6 years old.

1865-1866.  Parasol is either right on with fashion or
like 10 years out of date.
Based on her very fashionable skirt and bodice shape,
I'm going with newer parasol.

1860-1862.  Ruffled parasol, unknown finial length.

1860-1862.  Striped fabric, no trim, long finial.

1863-1865.  Plain parasol, long finial.

1864.  Blue parasol with no fringe, no lining, and long finial.

1860-1862.  Ruffled parasol with short finial.

1864-1866.  Given the very small size of parasol with the feather/fur trim,
this is an ultra fashionable parasol.

1865-1866.  No trim, long finial.

1860-1861.  Parasol from 1856-1860.  Up to 5 years from make,
possibly brand new.  Fringe and short finial.

1864.  Shaped finial with lace trimming.

1868-1869.  Possible small fringe, small finial.
Typical of late 1860's parasols.

1860-1863.  Small plain parasol with small finial,
telescoping handle.

1864-1865.  Plain parasol with bone-ended handle.  Bone rib-tips.
Not sure on the date of this parasol as I haven't seen many like it.

1860.  Small green parasol very typical with fringe.
No more than 2 years from make.

1860.  Plain parasol with long finial.

Let's look at some 1850's images with parasols!

ca 1855.  Parasol has a short finial with a ring.
Possible short fringe.

1851-1854.  Long ornate finial dates to the same.

1855-1860.  Finial is small with a small finial.

1850-1855.  Long ornate finial with no trim.

1848-1852.  Short fringe.

1851.  Parasol from 1850-1853 based on handle; medium long fringe.

1850-1855.  Ornate long finial.

1855-1858.  Long fringe, short finial.

1850-1856.  Short fringe.

1850-1856.  Hooked bone handle.

Okay.  So it looks like most people, even older women, are using parasols no more than 2 or 3 years from the date of make.  The oldest possible parasol from our photographic study possibly could be 6 years, and another 5 years but more than likely they aren't so old.  From our small 40 image study, plain parasols seem to be the most popular in the 1860's and age doesn't seem to be a factor into having a fashionable parasol.  All the people in the 1850's images show very fashionable parasols-the two iffy ones come from the 1860's.

Based on this informal study, one can in good conscience state that IF an 1850's parasol was used in the 1860's, it would be a rare occurrence indeed.  More than likely, you would have a new parasol at least every 3 years.  As a living historian, I need to be conscious of this and use a parasol that was close in manufacture date from event date.  If I as a living historian do not own a parasol that fits these requirements, it is probably better to do without than to give the impression that out-of-date parasols were acceptable.

Enjoy!