I really enjoy the out of context titles of some of these. There's news articles on umbrellas and it's kinda funny to think about. But, I know it was a big deal when men started carrying umbrellas because it used to be a woman only accessory.
Yeah, it was definitely considered effete! Some men were using them by 1800 but even in the 1870s they were still sort of a joke.
I guess this still exists a little though, have you ever heard that not carrying an umbrella is sort of a Seattle shibboleth? (I don’t know how true that really is, I live just across the Strait of Juan de Fuca - okay, it’s four hours by ferry, but about an hour as the crow flies! - so the weather’s pretty similar, and I see plenty of umbrellas here! I don’t really use one myself, but that’s because I just find them to be a pain to carry around and not misplace.)