How times have changed! Now nobody wants to carry anything they don’t have to. But one hundred years ago women took parasols with them when it wasn’t raining as protection against the sun in climates that were generally cloudy most of the time. They weren’t so much practical as showy like every other fashion detail from this time period as you can see in Claude Monet's Lady With A Parasol on www.edwardwarethrillers.org. They were still another frill to brag about and to match to the pattern of your gown.