source: https://www.hbcheritage.ca/things/fashion-pop/hbc-point-blanket
Origins
Throughout the 18th century, wool blankets were among the most popular trade items in the Canadian fur trade, accounting for more than 60% of all goods exchanged by 1700. Although blankets had been a trade good offered for some time, it was not until 1779 that the item that would become the iconic Hudson’s
Bay Point Blanket was born.
By December 1779, sample blankets were received by the London Committee and an order was issued for 500 pairs of “pointed” blankets; 100 pairs each in 1-, 1.5-, 2-, 2.5-, and 3-point sizes. Although blankets were a longstanding staple of the fur trade, it was not until the first shipment to Fort Albany in the spring of 1779 that they were shipped to the posts on a regular basis.
The Point System
Each blanket was graded using a point system. Points were identified by the indigo lines woven into the side of each blanket. A full point measured 4–5.5 inches (10–14 centimetres); a half point measured half that length. The standard measurements for a pair of 1-point blankets was: 2 feet, 8 inches (81 centimetres) wide by 8 feet (2.4 metres) in length; with a weight of 3 pounds, 1 ounce (1.4 kilograms) each. Points ranged from 1 to 6, increasing by halves depending upon the size and weight of the blanket.
The number of points on a blanket represents the overall finished size of the blanket, not its value in terms of beaver pelts as is sometimes believed.
Quality in Manufacturing
The wool is first dyed before it is spun. The wool is then air and sun dried to brighten the colours. The blankets are woven 50% larger than their final finished size, before they are put through a milling process which reduces them to prevent further shrinkage. In addition, the milling prevents the blanket from hardening when exposed to severe climatic conditions.
Hudson's Bay Point Blanket Colours
When Hudson’s Bay Point Blankets became a regular trade good in 1780, the standard colourways available were: plain white, scarlet (red), green, and blue, with single headings in black (or more often indigo) at each end. Throughout the fur trade, white was by far the most common colour, with bars in indigo, red, or blue.
The iconic multistripe Hudson’s Bay Point Blanket pattern was introduced at the end of the 18th century. In fact, the earliest reference to the multistripe pattern is from a 1798 order from HBC’s London Headquarters to Thomas Empson of Witney for “30 pairs of 3 points to be striped with four colours (red, blue, green,
Although some sources suggest there is some meaning to the stripe colours or order, the truth is that nothing intentional is, or was, meant by the design. The four traditional colours — green, red, yellow, and indigo — were simply colours that were popular and easily produced using good colourfast dyes at the time that the multistripe blanket was introduced around 1800. These four colours are sometimes referred to as Queen Anne’s colours, since they first became popular during her reign (1702–1714).
Throughout the 20th century, HBC continued to produce and sell Hudson’s Bay Point Blankets in a variety of colourways. In 1929, the “Pastel Tones” — light colours with darker tone-on-tone bars — were introduced. This series included sky blue, violet, reseda (green), gold, and rose. Two additional colourway series, the “Deep Tones” and “Imperial Tones,” were introduced during the 1930s. The “Deep Tones” included Coraline (vermilion red), Pine Green, Cranberry, and Caramel, and Coronation Blue, Harvest Gold, and Highland Heather
Today, Hudson’s Bay Point Blankets continue to be produced and sold in Multistripe, Millennium (four stripes in shades of brown introduced in 2000), White with black bar, Scarlet with black bar, Green with black bar and Grey with black bar. A number of limited edition blankets have also been created to celebrate significant Canadian anniversaries and events, such as a special edition blanket label to celebrate HBC’s 325th Anniversary, a special edition Sea-to-Sky Point Blanket for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, and a Think Pink! Point Blanket created in support of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation in 2006.
Further Reading
To read about the history of the Point Blanket Coat read Hudson’s Bay Point Blanket Coat.
Hudson's Bay Point Blanket Coat
Although HBC did not introduce its first commercial Hudson’s Bay Point Blanket Coat until 1922, fur traders, voyageurs, and Indigenous peoples had already been styling Hudson’s Bay Point Blankets into coats for nearly 200 years. Like the iconic Point Blankets themselves, Point Blanket Coats share a similarly long and interesting history.
Traditional Capote
A capote is a handmade wrap-style coat often made from a Hudson’s Bay Point Blanket. Capotes date back to the mid-17th century and are arguably the earliest iterations of the Hudson’s Bay Point Blanket Coat. Capotes were worn by First Nations, Métis, French settlers, traders, trappers, and later British settlers
throughout the fur trade era. While most people would fashion capotes from blankets themselves, HBC also sold pre-made capotes as a trade item. The
Despite variations in construction, it was the Métis style which became best known: hooded, embellished with fringing at the shoulders and neck, and closed with a bright Assomption sash. Although capotes were made from wool in a variety of colours, blue was preferred by Catholic Métis and white by Protestant Métis, whereas the traditional Hudson’s Bay Point Blanket grey colourway was purchased by both.
The Mackinaw
In 1811, British Captain Charles Roberts, commanding a fort on St. Joseph Island in the St. Mary’s River near Sault Ste. Marie, was unable to procure new winter outerwear for his troops from his Quebec headquarters. Taking matters into his own hands, Roberts requisitioned a supply of 3.5 point Hudson’s Bay Point Blankets and commissioned a group of local Indigenous women to make coats for his 40 men. The following summer, Roberts’ men occupied American Fort Michilimackinac in Michigan (pronounced “Michilimackinaw”) as the War of 1812 began. When Roberts ordered a further blanket supply for the coming winter and began to fill orders for the coats, the shorter double-breasted style became known as a Mackinaw. When Point Blanket Coats began to be sold commercially more than 100 years later, the Mackinaw remained one of the more popular styles of coats available for purchase from HBC.
Commercial Hudson's Bay Point Blanket Coats
By 1929, the blanket coat’s success led HBC to launch a full line of blanket outerwear for men, women, and children. Fabric was woven in England and shipped to Canada by the bolt. A succession of manufacturers based in Winnipeg made blanket coats right up until the year 2000. Styles proliferated over time, peaking in the mid-1970s with a wide product range that included coats made of lighter weight wool duffle, as well as two-part coats featuring a wool liner topped by a removable, weatherproof outer shell. Single- and double-breasted styles in varying lengths predominated, supplemented by parkas and bomber jackets.
Despite a multitude of available colours, the traditional multistripe remained the most popular, becoming universally identified as the “Hudson’s Bay” coat. By extension, the HBC coats became internationally recognized as a symbol of Canada — a fact that explains their selection as official parade wear for the Canadian National Winter Olympic Games teams throughout the 1960s.
