Parasol Project: Color

I've been surfing through clouds of parasol photographs and I've found some really amazing examples.  While many of the parasols I see are WHITE:

MFA 50.3161, dated early 20th century.  Cute, this one has scalloped petal shapes!

or BROWN:

MFA 50.3160, dated early 20th century.  Boring color.. But the handle is carved to look like a thorny branch, kind of mimicking the burl handle on mine. 

or BLACK:

MFA 1987.330 about 1910-15

...There is far more variation to be found than initially meets the eye.  Just look at these paintings, for starters!

Girl in red with a parasol, Max Pechstein, 1909

James R. Jackson, Dora with Parasol, 1917

Frederick Carl Frieseke, 1905, Lady with a Parasol 

Frederick Carl Frieseke, 1901, Luxembourg Gardens

Richard E. Miller, unknown title or date, see http://www.tuttartpitturasculturapoesiamusica.com/2013/11/Richard-Emil-Miller.html

The Parasol, Richard E. Miller, 1911-1913

Frederick Carl Frieseke, 1908, Lady with Parasol 

The Red Parasol, 1904, Matej Sternen

Henri Lebasque, Promenade Sur L'Eau 1918

MFA The Green Parasol, John Singer Sargent, about 1911.  Ooo these bluegreens are just the colors of my striped fabric...

The predominant color of parasol in these paintings is red or green.  I realize that those colors were likely chosen for their POP in the composition of the painting rather than their fashionability, and I concede that Light is the main concern of these artists, rather than Accuracy.  However, I do think we can assume that red and green parasols (and striped versions of the same) existed at the time.  Let's look at some fashion plates:

studio sketches, circa 1915-6, http://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/four-lucile-studio-sketches,-circa-1915-6,-65b-c-8eb9eaae75

Journal des dames and des modes, 1912, I LOVE the polka dot parasol to match the dress!

The Delineator, 1911

Godey Lady's Book, September 1890 (early edges of the range)

1913, http://www.bartoscollection.com/fp1913.html

Delineator, July 1916, again a parasol that matches a skirt!  :)  Stripes!

Journal des Dames et des Modes, 1914, great color

Delineator, 1917, look how BOLD that purple and white one is...

1912 fashion plate from the Delineator.  Colors!  And layers of lace over color.

Even better than general fashion plates are fashion plates devoted solely to parasols!!  :D  I found two of these:

Journal des Dames et des Modes, 1914, http://www.sil.si.edu/ImageGalaxy/imagegalaxy_imageDetail.cfm?id_image=11704

"Aux Galeries Lafayette" from damaged magazine, likely c1910, https://www.etsy.com/listing/126291988/vintage-french-fashion-plate-galeries?ref=shop_home_active

And then of course there are photographs.  Wonderfully for me, the first color photographs were being developed around this time, so we have some amazingly striking images to look at:

Flora Stieglitz Straus, by Nathan Straus, c. 1915.   I was thinking that this image was fake, but then I found it linked to a legit Yale library! The problem is, it keeps getting attributed to another artist on pinterest...  http://brbl-dl.library.yale.edu/vufind/Record/3525030  

Mode aux courses, 1911-1914.  STRIPES!!  

Peter Ivanovich Vedenisov, autochrome photograph, Russia, 1909-1914, http://www.vintag.es/2015/04/30-early-color-photographs-of-russia.html#more  Amazing floral pattern..

Peter Ivanovich Vedenisov, autochrome photograph, Russia, 1909-1914, what looks like blue on the outside and white on the inside!

Peter Ivanovich Vedenisov, autochrome photograph, Russia, 1909-1914

Woman with a parasol - Autochrome photograph by Antonin Personnaz, c. 1910.  

And last, but certainly not least, I have a spread of fabulous parasols at the MET to share:

All colors and patterns and stripes! Stripes! STRIPES!!


I feel sufficiently justified in using my blue and green striped fabric now :)  I believe that what I am seeing is not some idiosyncratic fabric selection seen in one or two images.  There is evidence of stripes and bold colors used for parasols in a broad selection of visual media of the era--paintings, fashion plates, photographs--and the extant "archaeological record" supports this impression.

Thus and verily and so we see and all that ;)