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 Co. Point Blanket was born.

 

In November 1779, independent fur trader Germain Maugenest met with HBC’s Board at Hudson’s Bay House in London to deliver his “Proposals of the Terms” under which he would enter into Hudson’s Bay Company’s service. He offered several suggestions for improving the growing inland trade from Fort Albany along the west coast of James Bay. Among his terms was a suggestion that the Company should regularly stock and trade “pointed” blankets.

 

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 |  The “point” system was invented by French weavers in the mid-18th century as a means of indicating the finished overall size (area) of a blanket. The word point derives from the French empointer, meaning “to make threaded stitches on cloth.”

 

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.

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Quality in Manufacturing |   Originally the weavers of Witney, Oxfordshire were the principal suppliers of Hudson’s Bay Co. Point Blankets. By the mid-19th century, demand for blankets had forced the Company to source its blankets in Yorkshire as well. The wool was, and remains, a blend of varieties from Britain and New Zealand, each selected for its special qualities that make the blanket water resistant, soft, warm, and strong.

 

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.

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Colours |  When Hudson’s Bay Co. 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 Co. 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, yellow) according to your judgment.” The modern “order” of the stripes — green, red, yellow, and indigo — was not standardized until the mid- to late 19th century.

 

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 Co.  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 made up the “Imperial Tones.”

 

These additional colours were designed with the intention of better meeting the needs of modern interior design schemes. However, most of these colours were out of production by the 1960s.

 

Today, Hudson’s Bay Co. 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.

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Source: hbcheritage.ca