Excellent Blankets

A Hudson's Bay point blanket is a type of wool blanket traded by the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) in British North America (now Canada) and the United States during the 18th century and 19th century. The company is named for the famous saltwater bay in Northeastern Canada, and the blankets were typically traded to First Nations and Native Americans in exchange for beaver pelts. The blankets continue to be sold by Canada's Hudson’s Bay department stores and have come to hold iconic status in Canada.

Importance to Native Trade

In the North American fur trade, wool blankets were one of the main European items sought by native peoples in exchange for beaver pelts, buffalo robes, pemmican, moccasins, and other trade goods. They were desired because of wool's ability to hold heat even when wet, and because they were easier to sew than bison or deer skins.

Wool cloth of one kind or another was traded as far back as the French regime in North America (1534-1765), but HBC point blankets were introduced in 1780 to compete with similar blankets offered by the Montreal-based private traders. The blankets were often produced with a green stripe, red stripe, yellow stripe and indigo stripe on a white background; the four stripe colours were popular and easily produced using good colourfast dyes at that time.

From the early days of the fur trade, wool blankets were made into hooded coats called capotes by both natives and French Canadian voyageurs which were perfectly suited to Canada's cold winters.

Current Use

Made in England from 100% wool, versions of the blanket are available at Hudson’s Bay stores throughout Canada. Solid colours are available, as is the classic pattern featuring the green, red, yellow, and indigo stripes. Newly made blankets retail at between Cdn $275 and $475. Today the blankets are made in England by John Atkinson, a sub brand of A.W. Hainsworth & Sons Ltd.

The official licencee allowed to import Hudson's Bay Blankets into the United States is Woolrich Inc. in Pennsylvania

The coloured stripes appear on textile products by other manufacturers including some patterns on blankets made by Pendleton Woolen Mills which makes a wool coat with the Hudson's Bay stripes sold at Hudson's Bay stores. The "Hudson's Bay stripes" sometimes are also found on numerous additional items, such as scarves, beanies, coffee mugs, mittens, and the like.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson%27s_Bay_point_blanket