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.