Jeff Bridgman Antique Flags
Home  /  Folk Art  /  Textiles





  BLACK, TASSELLED, EDWARDIAN STYLE PARASOL / UMBRELLA, MADE BY FOLLMER, CLOGG & Co. OF LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA, MODIFIED FOR SUFFRAGETTE USE BY WAY OF AN APPLIED, CHIFFON SILK PANEL WITH FANCIFUL, SCRIPT-EMBROIDERY THAT READS: “GIVE WOMEN THE VOTE,” circa 1900-1915
Dimensions (inches): 41" tall x 40" diameter
Description:
In the world of Suffrage memorabilia, commercially produced parasols & umbrellas, with printed lettering to advertise the Suffragette movement, are known to have been made in both Britain and America. Though many images of them can be seen in parades and rallies, surviving examples are exceedingly rare. At the same time, though many homemade banners and adornments can be viewed in early photographs, surviving examples of such, in early Suffrage material, are even less common.

This umbrella, of extraordinarily high quality, with its black cotton canopy (probably once with a polished glaze), and a nickel-plated shaft with brass fittings, was produced by Follmer, Clogg & Company (F. C. & Co.) of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. A fine, braided cord with elongated, cone-shaped tassels, adorns the shaped wooden handle, engraved with a serpentine design, likely applied by way of a wood burning tool. An add placed by the Marshall Field & Co. department store in the Chicago Tribune, dated 1901, documents the shape and style of the exact type of runner (slider fitting used to raise the canopy) used on this example, called “New Era,” designed to prevent fingers from being pinched. The overall appearance of the fabrics and construction, as well as the ad, strongly suggest manufacture in that period. That title is fancifully engraved on the runner of this example. The specific model, per the silver gilt stamp on the canopy strap, is identified as the “Magic Widespread.”

A narrow, 4.5” wide, sash-like panel, made of white chiffon silk, was hand-applied to the edge of the umbrella. Across this, the slogan: “Give Women the Vote,” was embroidered with red thread in whimsical, script style text, by way of a button hole machine stitch. The upper edge of the sheer fabric has a selvedge edge, while the lower edge is bound by machine stitching. This was apparently accomplished at home by a woman who wished to modify her Fullmer-Clogg parasol for use in a parade. It’s interesting to see this particular phraseology, which may have been more common in the UK, though it does not appear on most Suffrage objects “across the pond” or in the States.

A 1912 photo of a woman, dressed in all white, holding a similar umbrella with that type of slider—likely a Suffragette, due to the period and her attire—was cited by a British umbrella repair company called “The Umbrella Smith & Co., Ltd.”

An exceptionally beautiful and interesting find, made even more valuable by the fact that almost all known Suffrage umbrellas specify a particular state, as opposed to having a generic suffrage message that attracts the interest of wider audience.

Condition: There are very minor holes and tears, but nothing of consequence, accompanied by minor to modest soiling of the white fabric.
   
Primary Color: black
Earliest Date: 1901
Latest Date: 1915
For Sale Status: Available
Price Please call (717) 676-0545 or (717) 502-1281
E-mail: info@jeffbridgman.com
Page Views:... 86