Today it’s hard to imagine life without an umbrella.

Although it was invented a very long time ago, until quite recently it used to look nothing like the umbrellas we know. The first umbrellas were meant to protect people from the sun. For rulers in various parts of the world they were symbols of power. Made of bamboo, paper or silk, decorated with feathers or precious metals, they were quite cumbersome, and had to be carried by servants.

The story of the umbrella in pictures and activities.