Antique Victorian Flocked Silk Parasol

Origin: England

Date: ca. 1855

No respectable Victorian lady would have left the house without carrying a fashionable parasol.

This rare carriage parasol was made in England. It is of the long-fringed type that is said to have been particularly favoured by Queen Victoria. The parasol is made of a handle that is carved in the centre portion to resemble a twisted rope, a wooden upper shaft and an eau-de-nil coloured silk cover with a cream coloured silk lining. The silk cover is flocked and shows sprays of flowers set within ornate frames. The very long fringe matches the cream and seafoam colour of the silk. It is hand knotted. The carved finial has a matching light cream coloured silk tassel attached. The internal workings of this parasol are made of baleen (whalebone) and steel. The flocked design is similar to those found on the more expensive tiered gowns of the period. The seafoam colour would have also been highly fashionable at the time.

The parasol measures ca. 15.5″ (39 cm) long when folded, ca. 27″ (69.5 cm) long when fully extended and ca. 16.5″ (42 cm) wide when fully open.

The parasol is in very good working/usable condition. However, the cover has one longer split and a smaller split hear the finial that is hidden by the fringe. The flocking is worn were the inner folds are. The are small tears/holes in the lining, mostly in the area surrounding the shaft (see photos).

IMPORTANT!!! Please note, that I used a rubber band to keep the parasol open, to avoid splitting/damaging the cover further. A rubber band should always be used, particularly on parasols where the cover is still intact! Intact covers are just too rare to find these days.