The sunshade umbrella from the collection of the museum estate was presumably made in the late 19th or early 20th century. It belonged to the granddaughter of Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky, Vera Semyonova-Tyan-Shanskaya (Boldyreva). The umbrella tube is made of bamboo, the handle is made of bone, and the fabric is made of thick cotton with lace.
The first umbrellas in history were made of bamboo, palm leaves, and bird feathers. Such accessory weighed about 3 kg and had a handle of one and a half meters long. It symbolized power and strength and had to look presentable.
In Europe, the umbrella began to be actively used in the 17th century. The first copies appeared in France under the name “parasol”, which literally meant “sunproof”. The top of the French sunshade umbrella was made of waxed linen, and the handle was made of bone. May 4, 1715 can be considered the birthday of the folding umbrella. On that day it was first demonstrated to the public in Paris.
During the entire 17th century, the sunshade umbrella served exclusively as protection from the sun. It was first used as a means of protection from the rain by the English in the middle of the 18th century. It was there that an umbrella made of a fabric similar to a tarpaulin appeared. It weighed almost 4 kilograms and at first was not popular.
In the middle of the 18th century, Peter I first brought to Russia a Dutch umbrella. However, even in our country, lace umbrellas that protected from the sun, which were intended for noble ladies, were loved best of all. The umbrellas came in a variety of shapes: oval, round and square.
At the same time, the word “zontik” (umbrella in Russian) came to the Russian language from the marine lexicon, it came from the term zonnedek in Dutch, which meant “sunshade”, “canopy from the sun”. Initially, this was the name of the fabric, which was stretched over the deck of the ship to protect the crew from the sun and rain. For the first time, this word is found in Russian in the Peter the Great’s Marine Charter of 1720. It is written as ‘zondek’ there.
By the end of the 18th century, the form of the word was changed to " zontik ‘. And in the 19th century, it acquired the meaning of a “hand umbrella from the sun”. Over time, the name began to be perceived as a diminutive because of the suffix “ik”, which was already common in the Russian language. So, since the 1830s, the word “zont” has come into use.
The first umbrellas in history were made of bamboo, palm leaves, and bird feathers. Such accessory weighed about 3 kg and had a handle of one and a half meters long. It symbolized power and strength and had to look presentable.
In Europe, the umbrella began to be actively used in the 17th century. The first copies appeared in France under the name “parasol”, which literally meant “sunproof”. The top of the French sunshade umbrella was made of waxed linen, and the handle was made of bone. May 4, 1715 can be considered the birthday of the folding umbrella. On that day it was first demonstrated to the public in Paris.
During the entire 17th century, the sunshade umbrella served exclusively as protection from the sun. It was first used as a means of protection from the rain by the English in the middle of the 18th century. It was there that an umbrella made of a fabric similar to a tarpaulin appeared. It weighed almost 4 kilograms and at first was not popular.
In the middle of the 18th century, Peter I first brought to Russia a Dutch umbrella. However, even in our country, lace umbrellas that protected from the sun, which were intended for noble ladies, were loved best of all. The umbrellas came in a variety of shapes: oval, round and square.
At the same time, the word “zontik” (umbrella in Russian) came to the Russian language from the marine lexicon, it came from the term zonnedek in Dutch, which meant “sunshade”, “canopy from the sun”. Initially, this was the name of the fabric, which was stretched over the deck of the ship to protect the crew from the sun and rain. For the first time, this word is found in Russian in the Peter the Great’s Marine Charter of 1720. It is written as ‘zondek’ there.
By the end of the 18th century, the form of the word was changed to " zontik ‘. And in the 19th century, it acquired the meaning of a “hand umbrella from the sun”. Over time, the name began to be perceived as a diminutive because of the suffix “ik”, which was already common in the Russian language. So, since the 1830s, the word “zont” has come into use.
