JESUITICA: Jesuits taking cover

May 26, 2009 in General, News

umbrellas_01.jpgEnglish diarist John Evelyn (1620-1706) noted in his diary on 22 June 1664: “A Catholic priest called Thompson, sent by the Jesuits of Japan and China to France, showed me some fans like those our ladies use, but much larger, and with long handles, strangely carved and filled with Chinese characters”. Was it the Jesuits, then, who brought parasols or umbrellas to Europe?