Thank You For The Umbrella, Totes!

An umbrella can be loosely defined as a canopy to help shield one against rain. Umbrellas are designed to be hand held and often are very fashionable. The word umbrella is derived from the Latin word umbra which comes from an ancient Greek word, ombros which means shade or shadow. Other words for an umbrella include brolly, bumbershoot and 'bella as coined by Rihanna.

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Totes Auto Open Golf Umbrella
available in a wide variety of colors
from Amazon.

Research indicates that the umbrella was invented perhaps as many or more than four thousand years ago. Umbrellas show up in artwork from Egypt, Assyria, Greece, and China. Mostly, they seemed to be used to protect from the sun and it may have been the Chinese who first made their umbrellas waterproof by waxing and lacquering their paper parasols.

In the 16th century, people in the western world started using the umbrella for rainy weather and at first it was used only by women. In the 1700s, it became fashionable for men to use them. The first umbrella shop may have been opened in the 1830s by James Smith and Sons in London, England.

The first umbrellas consisted of wood or whalebone covered with alpaca or canvas that had been oiled. The handles were made by artisans from hard woods. In the year 1852 the steel ribbed umbrella was designed by Samuel Fox who claimed to have dreamed up the steel ribs of an umbrella in order to use up steel stays from women's corsets.

More than a century later, collapsible umbrellas were developed and today, the umbrella is a very practical, everyday household item in many parts of the world. You can find umbrellas that are cheap and expensive, big and small, colorful or black and you can use them to show off your personality!

Totes umbrellas are manufactured by the Isotoner Coporation who operates out of the United States. They claim to be the world's largest marketer of umbrellas. Totes is world reknown for quality and reliable umbrellas. You may want to consider making your next umbrella an umbrella by Totes!

The company that makes Totes originally started in 1923 making rubber boots in Ohio. It was in 1969 that Brad Phillips obtained the patent for the first folding umbrella and in 1970 Totes introduced the folding umbrella to people in the United States. It was a hit.

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Superdome Collapsible Vented
Canopy Umbrella by totes
from Amazon.

This classic umbrella, the bubble, is a best seller on Amazon! It provides a bit of extra protection from the rain and has the added benefit of NOT blocking your sight, making walking in the rain a little bit safer! This PVC umbrella has an arc canopy of 52 inches when opened and 17 inches of headroom!

Amazon Customer Review:

"It keeps you dry, it doesn't block your vision, and the best part is that it keeps other people's umbrella's out of your face!" ~~ J. Arena

Click here to buy this umbrella
Totes Classic Clear Bubble Umbrella
by Totes from Amazon.

Click here to buy the
Kids Clear Bubble Umbrella by totes
from Amazon.

Okay, I'll admit it. My husband is a gentleman but he doesn't carry this umbrella. He really does prefer one that he can fold up and put in his briefcase. However, this is a great umbrella if you do not need that functionality or if you live in a climate like we lived in in British Columbia where the day starts of rainy and stays rainy so you can be sure that you are going to be using it both going to and from work. We do have some of these umbrellas (that do not collapse) and one that precedes the invention of the micro or mini umbrella. We still use it although less often than we use the collapsible ones.

Click here to buy this
Totes Gentlemen's Automatic Umbrella
from Amazon.

Click here to buy
Claude Theberge's
The Rain Shower
From Amazon.