Thursday, October 20, 2011

Antique umbrella

How cool is this?


We picked up this old umbrella at an estate auction. It's made from...are ready for this?...paper!
(Guessing it was a sun umbrella, rather than a rain umbrella!


How old is it? Well, in my best estimation, I'd say REALLY old! It's brittle, yet much stronger than you would expect. It will almost open all the way, but I'm afraid to push it. As you open it, you can hear it protesting, so to speak.


I pushed it open as far as I dared, then put a clothespin on it to hold it open. It's hard to see in the picture, but up in the furthest recesses, there is some whitish mold. I have no idea how to clean it without damaging the paper umbrella, or the skinny wood bracing.


This close-up shows the Japanese writing on the inside. Or is that Chinese? I'm going with Japanese.

Whatever..........I just know it's a really cool treasure!

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