A division of the Amalgamated Sundries Corporation There is always an owl on the label. Look for the owl on the label
Estd. 1893  ❦  Incorporated by Charter

BRACKISH & SONS

Underwriters to the Perpetually Rained-On

Insurance for your umbrella. Not from it.


Your umbrella holds the hardest job in town.

Out in every weather. Standing alone between you and the sky.
Asking nothing. Receiving less.

We ask you honestly, as neighbors: who is looking after it?

Request her free appraisal

The Brackish Arrangement

Under a Brackish policy, the umbrella is the policyholder. You are carried as a dependent.

We are frequently asked whether this is backwards. We invite the asker to spend one November out of doors, and to repeat the question.

Schedule of Named Perils

† As defined by the Pelican Schedule of 1907, which the Sons regard as settled law.
PerilProvision
Gusts, all Beaufort numbers including the one that comes around cornersCOVERED
Gutter eventsCOVERED
Inversion, singleCOVERED
Inversion, double an umbrella twice inverted is legally a cup; we also insure cupsCOVERED
Spoke fatigue & rib griefCOVERED
Acts of Pelican †ADJUDICATED INDIVIDUALLY
Abandonment restaurants, trams, romancesCOVERED, NO QUESTIONS some looks
LightningSEE ATTRACTIVE-NUISANCE RIDER
Sunshine damage no such claim has ever been received; we remain vigilantNOT COVERED

Tariff of Protections

Bumbershoot Basic

/ month
  • For the young umbrella of modest exposure
  • Gusts to Beaufort six
  • Single inversion, once annually
  • A condolence card, sincere

The Full Ferrule

11¢ / month
  • Comprehensive, ferrule to handle
  • Double indemnity for loss in the line of duty
  • Acts of Pelican, expedited
  • The Sons attend the service personally
Official Form No. 11-AFile in duplicate. The duplicate is for her.

A Free Actuarial Appraisal of Your Umbrella's Remaining Winters

Answer plainly. The instruments account for modesty.

Finding of the Actuary

Appraised · B&S

In the Event of Loss

  1. Do not panic.
  2. Remain beneath awnings.
  3. Speak well of her.
  4. File Form 11-B (Gust), Form 11-C (Pelican), or Form 11-F (Grief, General).

Claims are adjudicated by the Sons personally. There were four Sons. There are now three.
We do not discuss the weather that week.

The Parasol of 1931

Paid in full. We have never once brought it up since.

This is the only mention.

Paid in Full · 1931

Unsolicited Correspondence

"They paid out on a parasol in '31 and have never once brought it up since, which is class."

— a private investigator of our acquaintance (small, damp)

"My umbrella carries a named beneficiary. The beneficiary is me. It is the only will in this town in which I come out ahead."

— the same investigator, later, unprompted

" — "

— her umbrella (stoic)

Questions, Frequently Asked

Is this a real company?
Brackish & Sons has been continuously real since 1893.
How can an umbrella hold a policy?
Firmly, by the handle.
What is an Act of Pelican?
You would know one.
I heard about you on the radio.
That was not a question. But we are glad you came, and we hope you came dry.
Days without an Act of Pelican
2
The record is eleven. We do not speak of the record.