Umbrella Stands
1880s English Aesthetic Movement Antique Umbrella Stands
Iron
Late 19th Century British Antique Umbrella Stands
Iron
1860s English Antique Umbrella Stands
Brass, Iron
Late 19th Century British Antique Umbrella Stands
Iron
1880s English Antique Umbrella Stands
Iron
19th Century Victorian Antique Umbrella Stands
Iron
1880s Victorian Antique Umbrella Stands
Brass
Late 19th Century English Jacobean Antique Umbrella Stands
Metal
19th Century English Victorian Antique Umbrella Stands
Brass
1860s Victorian Antique Umbrella Stands
Mahogany
Late 19th Century English Tudor Antique Umbrella Stands
Oak
Late 19th Century European Arts and Crafts Antique Umbrella Stands
Brass
Late 19th Century French Renaissance Revival Antique Umbrella Stands
Metal
19th Century English Victorian Antique Umbrella Stands
Brass
19th Century English Victorian Antique Umbrella Stands
Brass
19th Century Chinoiserie Antique Umbrella Stands
Tin
1860s English Late Victorian Antique Umbrella Stands
Mahogany
19th Century Swiss Antique Umbrella Stands
Softwood
19th Century English Antique Umbrella Stands
Oak
1870s English Victorian Antique Umbrella Stands
Leather
1850s English Victorian Antique Umbrella Stands
Brass
Late 19th Century Art Nouveau Antique Umbrella Stands
Pottery
Mid-19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Umbrella Stands
Iron
19th Century Victorian Antique Umbrella Stands
Walnut
19th Century English Antique Umbrella Stands
Mahogany
1880s Arts and Crafts Antique Umbrella Stands
Copper
1890s Arts and Crafts Antique Umbrella Stands
Brass
1890s British Antique Umbrella Stands
Iron
Mid-19th Century British Antique Umbrella Stands
Leather
19th Century British Antique Umbrella Stands
Brass
Early 19th Century Victorian Antique Umbrella Stands
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Umbrella Stands
Wrought Iron, Zinc
Late 19th Century British Antique Umbrella Stands
Iron
1890s Victorian Antique Umbrella Stands
Brass
19th Century Irish Victorian Antique Umbrella Stands
Wrought Iron
Late 19th Century British Edwardian Antique Umbrella Stands
Leather
Mid-19th Century Italian Neoclassical Antique Umbrella Stands
Terracotta
1890s Country Antique Umbrella Stands
Copper
1880s Arts and Crafts Antique Umbrella Stands
Copper
1860s Chinese Chinese Export Antique Umbrella Stands
Porcelain
Mid-19th Century English Antique Umbrella Stands
Brass, Iron, Sheet Metal
19th Century English Victorian Antique Umbrella Stands
Brass
19th Century English Victorian Antique Umbrella Stands
Bamboo
19th Century Victorian Antique Umbrella Stands
Iron
1890s Antique Umbrella Stands
Brass
19th Century British Colonial Antique Umbrella Stands
Oak
19th Century European Antique Umbrella Stands
Horn, Wood
19th Century English Antique Umbrella Stands
Brass
1850s English Gothic Revival Antique Umbrella Stands
Brass
1880s English Aesthetic Movement Antique Umbrella Stands
Copper
Late 19th Century American Arts and Crafts Antique Umbrella Stands
Brass
19th Century Scottish Antique Umbrella Stands
Wood
19th Century English Victorian Antique Umbrella Stands
Oak
19th Century English Antique Umbrella Stands
Brass
Mid-19th Century Italian Neoclassical Antique Umbrella Stands
Terracotta
19th Century English Victorian Antique Umbrella Stands
Oak
19th Century French Antique Umbrella Stands
Brass
19th Century Victorian Antique Umbrella Stands
Iron
Vintage, New and Antique Umbrella Stands
When it’s raining, you’re going to need an umbrella, and that wet umbrella is going to need a home. In the range of vintage, new and antique umbrella stands on 1stDibs, find patio umbrella stands made for the outdoors and luxury iterations intended to pair with your coat rack and add a dose of character to your entryway.
Modern umbrellas originated as parasols or sunshades for the upper classes in Ancient Egypt, Ancient India and elsewhere, with the accessory undergoing significant improvements, which included waterproofing, in China thereafter. The Chinese created collapsible accessories and applied wax and lacquer to paper parasols, which repelled rain during thunderstorms. As umbrellas saw widespread adoption over the years, we suddenly needed a place to put them.
African-American inventor William C. Carter of Cincinnati, Ohio, patented the first umbrella stand in 1885. His receptacle featured horizontal crossbars with hinged ends that allowed for umbrellas to be spring-locked into place. Carter hoped his idea would prevent theft of umbrellas and canes as well as present an orderly solution for storing them. It could hold more than one umbrella and contained a drip pan to catch rainwater. Today, antique umbrella stands are rich components of home decor — they’re among the first furnishings you see when you enter someone’s house or apartment — and those stemming from Carter’s day are precious collector’s items.
While preliminary umbrella stands were simple (no more than two posts and a rack to hold several umbrellas), furniture makers embellished their interpretations, adding decorative flourishes and improving upon its features over time.
On 1stDibs, a collection of antique 19th-century umbrella stands includes structures made of oak, walnut and more. There are understated Victorian-era umbrella stands made of brass that comprise little more than four tubular metal supports and cast-iron drip pans, while iterations dating from the same era made from mahogany feature distinctive hand-carvings on their side panels or ornate finials. If they’re not cast-iron umbrella stands, a (sometimes removable) cast-iron drip pan at the very least is a fairly consistent characteristic of the stands of the era.
Mid-century modern furniture designers explored venturesome forms and worked with a variety of materials to craft their umbrella stands, integrating metals such as aluminum and introducing glass and even marble to these pieces. Umbrella stands crafted by contemporary furniture makers often depart from their historical counterparts. While a sampling of today’s iterations demonstrate that creators are making umbrella stands in a variety of shapes and sizes, they’re frequently embodying clean lines and minimalist flourishes, which are perhaps a good fit if you don’t intend for your rack to stand out in your foyer or entryway.
If you’re looking to make a statement with your patio umbrella stand or the piece you’re intending to keep indoors, a vintage ceramic umbrella stand will introduce a pop of color or a dazzling texture to your doorstep or to the neutral color palette that characterizes your entryway.
While umbrella stands have seen an evolution of design over the years, their usefulness hasn’t changed a bit. Browse a collection of antique, new and vintage umbrella stands today on 1stDibs.