Hudson's Bay point blanket

Uncommon card · No. 168672

Hudson's Bay point blankets are woollen blankets originally made for the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) in British North America, now Canada and the United States. Manufactured in England since 1779, historically they served as a form of currency during the North American fur trade exchanged with First Nations for beaver pelts. Sold by HBC trading posts, they were often hand made into winter clothing (specifically capotes and mackinaws) worn extensively by voyageurs (European fur traders) and Indigenous peoples. Beginning in the 20th century, an HBC factory-made "point blanket coat" was popularized amongst the population of Canada to the extent that it was looked on as a national dress. HBC point blankets have become part of the Canadian identity representing a nationally shared cultural symbol. The points system, marked by thin lines woven into the side of each blanket, indicates the overall size of a blanket. These lines originally allowed traders to identify blanket size at a glance. By...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Canada's History Archive featuring The Beaver (The Beaver was a magazine of Canadian history begun by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1920.), Public domain