ticketsMember | Make a donation

Parasol

Design House Schiaparelli French
Designer Elsa Schiaparelli Italian
summer 1937
Not on view
The butterfly was the Surrealist symbol for change, particularly the change from ugly to beautiful. As the unlovely caterpillar changes into the brilliant colorful butterfly, so Schiaparelli's designs could transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. Many of her clients were women who did not possess the accepted standard of beauty, but rather a more striking sort of chic, such as the Duchess of Windsor and Millicent Rogers, who owned this parasol. This design features a lively butterfly print on a quirky asymmetric canopy that expresses the wide array of types and colorations of butterflies, inspired by Surrealist artists such as Salvador Dalí, Max Ernst and Man Ray. Schiaparelli shared many Surrealist views with these artists and often used her designs as a means to express these views. For her summer 1937 collection, Schiaparelli featured the butterfly print on parasols, silk evening dresses (see 2009.300.1347a, b) and her new waltz-length evening dresses.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Parasol
  • Design House: Schiaparelli (French, founded 1927)
  • Designer: Elsa Schiaparelli (Italian, 1890–1973)
  • Date: summer 1937
  • Culture: French
  • Medium: cotton, wood
  • Credit Line: Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Arturo and Paul Peralta-Ramos, 1955
  • Object Number: 2009.300.1224
  • Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Evening dress, Schiaparelli French, silk, French
Evening dress
Schiaparelli
Elsa Schiaparelli
summer 1937
Dress, Schiaparelli French, silk, metallic thread, French
Dress
Schiaparelli
Elsa Schiaparelli
fall/winter 1937–38
Dinner dress, Schiaparelli French, silk, ceramic, plastic, French
Dinner dress
Schiaparelli
Elsa Schiaparelli
summer 1940
Blouse, Schiaparelli French, Silk, plastic, French
Blouse
Schiaparelli
Elsa Schiaparelli
1936–37
Dress, Schiaparelli French, Cotton, French
Dress
Schiaparelli
Elsa Schiaparelli
fall 1937

Related Content

Perspectives

Articles, audio, and video from The Met's online magazine.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.