French solid stick ‘English Mount’ umbrella, black

A black-canopied, solid stick umbrella with ten steel ribs, from the workshops of Pierre Vaux in Saint-Claude, in the Jura region of eastern France. Also called English mount, solid stick umbrellas have handles and shafts made from a single piece of wood, in this case stained maple, first turned, then steamed and bent to shape — this is considered the sturdiest, most durable assemblage and is the type traditionally used for a gentleman's city umbrella. The company of Pierre Vaux have been making umbrellas in their Saint-Claude factory since 1920, and are currently run by Dominique and Dora Vaux, third generation umbrella makers. Still very much committed to their tradition of artisan production they now manufacture specialist runs for the haute couture houses of Paris alongside their standard 'ready-to-wear' production. The canopy is 100% polyester, the frame steel, the handle wood, the overall length is a little over 90cm, the open diameter approximately 110cm.