Long before it became associated primarily with rain, the umbrella served a very different purpose in many ancient civilisations: shielding its user from the sun. Archaeological and artistic evidence from ancient Egypt, Assyria, and China suggests that parasols, often elaborately decorated, were used almost exclusively by royalty and the elite as symbols of status and power, carried by servants to shade rulers from harsh sunlight. It was not until several centuries later, particularly in parts of East Asia, that umbrellas began to be treated with oil or wax to make them effective against rain as well as sun. European adoption of the umbrella as a practical rain-shield came comparatively late, and even then it faced considerable social resistance. In 18th-century England, carrying an umbrella was initially seen as effeminate or eccentric, largely because it was associated with a lack of manliness in contrast to simply enduring the weather. This perception gradually shifted, due in part to prominent public figures who carried umbrellas despite ridicule, normalising the practice over time. By the 19th century, mass production techniques had made umbrellas widely affordable, and the item transformed from an elite status symbol into an ordinary household accessory found across nearly every social class.