The quiet scandal of the umbrella that rained upward
For eighty-six years Object 77 was exhibited upside down. The umbrella, it now appears, was right all along.
Object dampNorth court
verifiedFiled under
upwardHandle first
do not invertWitnessed by
ceiling
Plate XVII. Reconstruction of the Brindle Umbrella event in the Museum’s North Indoor Courtyard.
Shortly after four o’clock on the afternoon of 11 March 1940, a black umbrella belonging to a Mr. E. Brindle began producing rain from its handle. The drops rose neatly toward the ceiling, where they formed a courteous puddle and waited.
A controversy in storage
The Museum accepted the object under the category “Portable Downpour, Incorrectly Assembled.” A junior cataloguer penciled the phrase possibly normal in Australia on its accession card, although no travel records support the theory.
For decades the umbrella occupied Drawer 7 next to two ounces of municipal fog and a scarf said to predict Wednesdays. It was displayed handle-down according to convention.
The ceiling gives evidence
Renovation last winter revealed a perfectly circular water mark directly above the former display case. Chemical analysis dated the mark to a rainstorm that did not occur outdoors. The collection committee met immediately, adjourned for towels, and met again.
The umbrella is now suspended handle-up in Gallery C. On damp afternoons it emits a soft smell of pavement and a receipt for an unknown hat.
Visitors are invited to decide for themselves which end is the weather.
