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The umbrella's history stretches back further than many assume, with early versions appearing in ancient Mediterranean and Asian societies primarily as sunshades carried to signal status rather than to block rain. It was only later, as the design spread to wetter climates, that craftsmen began treating the fabric with wax or oil to repel water, transforming a status symbol into a practical rain shield. In eighteenth-century Europe, however, carrying an umbrella was for a time considered unmanly, since covered carriages were seen as the proper way for a gentleman to avoid rain. That perception shifted only after a well-known public figure was seen using one regularly, after which the umbrella gradually became an accepted, then ordinary, accessory for men as well as women.