When were collapsible umbrellas invented?

Question

While umbrellas have been around for ages, when did collapsible umbrellas similar to current ones became common? That means having a frame and being easily opened and closed without having to be reconnected each time.

Answer 1

It seems an umbrella that can be opened and closed can be traced back all through antiquity, although it was not used in all cultures. An excavation from the Phrygian city of Gordion brought to light a wooden, collapsable parasol from a round 700 BC. Elizabeth Simpson wrote an article about it: A Parasol from Tumulus P at Gordion (free account needed). There, she mentions representations of collapsable parasols dating back into the third millenium BC, and pictures showing at least rough representations of the folding mechanism at around the 7th century BC:

In the ancient Near East, representations of apparent collapsible parasols occur as early as the third millennium B.C., beginning with one shown on a fragmentary stele of Sargon I (r. ca. 2334-2279 B.C.). The type was traced by Oscar White Muscarella into the first millennium B.C., with numerous examples shown on Assyrrian reliefs. The Assyrian parasol is always carried by an attendant and may be used when standing or in a chariot. A nice example shades King Ashurnasirpal II (r. 883-859 B.C.) on a relief from Nimrud, although the sculptor did not quite understand the way the stretchers worked to support the top frame... Perhaps most spectacular are the parasols of Ashurbanipal (r. 668-627 B.C.) illustrated in the reliefs from the North Palace at Nineveh. These have beautifully ornamented fabric covers, carved top knobs, pendant decorations, and feature an extension hanging down at the back, like the Egyptian awnings. As with other Assyrian representations, the stretchers are not depicted with accuracy; the artists' aim was the display of multiple stretchers, so that one often sees them lined up in rows to either side of the shaft. Nonetheless, the renderings give the impression that the stretchers of Ashurbanipal's parasols extend up at an oblique angle from a ring-shaped runner positioned high on the shaft. This runner is shown as a bulbous element, with moldings above and below. In Assyrian depictions, the stretchers typically extend up from the top of the runner, instead of actually fitting into the piece itself.

... At around the same time, parasols were in use in Greece and Etruria. An interesting view of an Etruscan parasol in a cart occupied (apparently) by two women is shown on a terra-cotta frieze plaque from Murlo (sixth century B.C.). The image here may be likened to a view in section, showing all the components as though one could see inside the assembly. A runner is shown, with four curved stretchers extending up from its top...

The parasol from Gordion had the ribs, the stretchers and the top hub, but the runner ring was missing. Its construction could nonetheless be reconstructed from a fragment found on Samos from the same period.

The runner has a bulbous profile with moldings at the top and bottom, and ridges on the central and lower part of the body. Eight mortises are cut into the upper section, with small holes drilled into the sides of the mortises, as with the top hub of the Tumulus P parasol. Helmut Kyrieleis believed that the runner was made on a lathe; the mortises would have been cut by hand after its removal from the turning apparatus. He recognized the similarity between the Samos runner and the Tumulus P hub, and noted the Assyrian comparanda, concluding that the Samian parasol had been Near Eastern in type.

To sum it up, the Phrygian parasol is still in use in Turkey, unchanged from its ancient predecessor:

As Henry Fischer observed in modern Egypt, so Helmut Kyrieleis found to be the case in Italy: the ancient parasol types had persisted virtually unchanged into the modern era. Thus, in the case of the Samos runner, he was able to envision the form of the parasol represented by this single fragment. Likewise, the Phrygian parasol is still present — perhaps one should say ubiquitous — in Turkey today. These parasols range from simple, practical versions used in outdoor markets and cafes (Fig. 8: Ankara) to deluxe models found on the terraces of upscale restaurants (Fig. 9: Istanbul). The modern parallels, combined with the evidence from the Samos runner, allow the Tumulus P parasol to be reconstructed in a drawing (Fig. 10).

It is quite obvious you can scale down these large exemplars to be portable. The following reproduction of a painting on a italo-greek vase is from Charles Victor Daremberg, Edmond Saglio: Dictionnaire des Antiquités Grecques et Romaines, p. 583:

The dictionary describes the figure as "a Phrygian slave is shown casually carrying a kind of large closed umbrella over his shoulder", but a footnote points to Guiseppe Cultrera: Di un vasa con scena del mito di Pelope e della ceramica Italiota dipinta. Ausonia v. 7 (1913), pp.116–170, where the person is described as "a boy...dressed in a sleeveless chiton, wearing a Phrygian cap...and shoes on his feet. This one...carries a contraption on his shoulder, which is easily recognisable for a closed umbrella."

Answer 2

It isn't clear to me how you're defining collapsible umbrella, but the answer is probably one of the following three dates.

The telescopic (foldable) umbrella was only born in the 20th century, thanks to Hans Haupt in 1928. However, Jean Marius invented a compact, foldable umbrella in France in 1701, but it was not telescopic. It was only by 1969 that Bradford Philips obtained the first patent for his foldable umbrella invention. beau-nuage.fr

There is a picture at knirps.com,

Hans Haupt found it difficult to carry his walking stick and an umbrella at the same time after a war injury that had not fully healed, so he looked for a solution. The result?

The first umbrella with a collapsible frame - it fit perfectly in his pocket and was always available when it rained! knirps.com

There appears to be a picture of Jean Marius' invention at palaisgalleria

On 1 January 1710, Jean Marius obtained a five-year royal privilege for his invention of a 'folding pocket parasol-umbrella'. During this period every umbrella made in France was to carry his trademark, but after his five-year monopoly anyone was free to manufacture similar ones.

There is a drawing of the Phillips umbrella at patents.google.com. Not terribly clear, but it seems to fit a strict definition of a collapsible umbrella.