Hudson's Bay point blanket

Hudson's Bay point blankets are woollen blankets originally made for the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) in British North America, now Canada and the United States.[1] Manufactured in England since 1779, they served as a form of currency during the North American fur trade exchanged with First Nations for beaver pelts.[2] Historically available through 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.[1] 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.[3][4] HBC point blankets have become part of the Canadian identity representing a nationally shared cultural symbol.[5]

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 the mid-20th century as bed sizes became standardized the point system came to indicate modern sizes, with 3.5 points denoting twin size, 4 points a double, 6 points a queen, and 8 points a king.[6]

The colour schemes of the blankets, including the multi-stripe version, historically known as "Queen Anne colours", have expanded into fashion,[7] and lifestyle products. These "Bay 'stripe' branded products" we're exclusively sold by Hudson's Bay department stores (the Bay) and affiliates until HBC intellectual property rights were purchased by Canadian Tire in 2025 during the liquidation of HBC assets.[8]

The Blanket Fund (Oshki Wupoowane), which receives 100% of the net proceeds from Hudson's Bay Point Blankets, is an Indigenous charity created to acknowledge HBC's settler colonial history and advance truth and reconciliation.[9][10] The fund provides grants to "grassroots Indigenous organizations for cultural, artistic, and educational initiatives".[11]

History

During the North American fur trade, beginning in the 1670s, Hudson's Bay Company trading posts and rival trading posts, such as those operated by the North West Company, served as the primary sources for woollen blankets and accessories required to make clothing from them.[13] By the early 1700s random wool blankets accounted for a large percentage of traded goods,[1] serving as a form of soft currency in some regions.[14]

The French fur trader Germain Maugenest is thought to have advised HBC to introduce point blankets of their own.[15] In 1779, the first "definite record" of an order of 500 point blankets was produced for HBC. In 1798 the first documented multiple stripe purchase order was for "30 pair[s] of 3 points to be striped with four colours (red, blue, green, yellow) according to your judgement",[1] to be manufactured in Witney, Oxfordshire.[16] However, relatively few four-stripe, four-colour blankets had been imported until the mid-19th century, with most blankets manufactured until then still having a single stripe, or bar, at each end.[17][18]

The colour stripes of green, red, yellow and indigo (blue), are believed to have been popularized during the Queen Anne's era of style.[1] They were not officially her colours, but rather were highly fashionable, easily produced dyes for textiles of the period.[19][20][18] Within Indigenous nations, the multi-striped version was referred to as "chief's blankets".[21] First Nations had long integrated textiles into their spiritual and ceremonial societies.[15][22]

By the 20th century, HBC's multi-stripe point blankets became popular as a marker of national identity,[5] commonly associated with "Canadian cottage culture".[23] They would also come to be associated with Canada's colonial history, a tangible centuries old symbol of an era of cultural assimilation and diseases transmission.[24][25]

Modern use

Beginning in the early 20th century, HBC point blankets were made available at Hudson's Bay department stores (the Bay) constructed throughout Canada over the course of a century.[38] In 2025, Canadian Tire, a national retail corporation, acquired HBC brand(s) rights and its intellectual property for $30 million CAD,[39] announcing the continuation of "Hudson's Bay Point Blankets" and related "Hudson's Bay Stripes" products online and at its over 500 national outlets.[40]

The blankets have always been made in England; today they are still available in multiple colours, manufactured by John Atkinson, a sub brand of A.W. Hainsworth & Sons Ltd.[41] Wools from Britain and New Zealand are used in the manufacture of blankets.[27]

Blanket fund

The history of HBC point blankets is not without controversy due to their connection with Canada's colonial history. Indigenous oral storytelling passed down for generations suggests that blankets and clothing of all types given to Indigenous communities in the 1700s and 1800s caused the spread of smallpox.[53][54] In light of its settler colonialism ties, reconciliation efforts began in 2022 with the formation of the "Oshki Wupoowane", also known as The Blanket Fund, with an initial investment of $1M from the Hudson’s Bay Foundation. The fund receives 100% of net proceeds from Hudson’s Bay Point Blanket sales. After Canadian Tire acquired HBC’s intellectual property rights, they pledged to continue supporting the fund ensuring at least $1M annually regardless of sales.[10] The fund supports Indigenous cultural, artistic, and educational activities through two grant streams, benefiting Indigenous-led initiatives and organizations in Canada.[10][9]

Collectibility

In 1890, HBC began adding labels to their blankets because point blankets of similar quality were being sold by HBC competitors.[55][56] Historic competitors include; C.C. Filson, Pendleton Woolen Mills, Faribault Woolen Mill Company, MacAuslands Woollen Mills,[57][58][59] and Early's of Witney,[60] which historically manufactured point blankets for HBC for over a century,[16] and ceased operations in 2002.[61]

Many HBC branded products have become collectibles,[42] with genuine HBC point blankets being the most sought after and valuable.[56][62] The main determinants of value include age, size, colour, pattern rarity, and condition.[56] Particularly collectible point blankets are the Coronation blankets: the one produced for the 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and the rarer 1937 coronation blanket.[63] Modern collectibles include the 2006 single pink strip on a white background for the "Think Pink!" in support of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, and the blue and green multi-striped version for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.[64]

In April 2017, HBC updated the label, rotating it from vertical to horizontal, making it easy to display English and French on either side of the crest, which has been enhanced with red on the flag. To celebrate the 150th anniversary of Canada in 2017, HBC added an additional label to the blanket: a picture of voyageurs in a canoe, with "Canada" printed at the top.

In 2020, HBC celebrated its 350th anniversary. It re-released a series of special, limited-edition blankets in a variety of historic colourways and patterns. It added a 'Special Edition' label with a picture of the sailing vessel Nonsuch and the words 'Celebrating HBC's 350th Anniversary'.[65]

Point system (sizes)

Points are short lines woven into the selvage of the blanket along the edge just above the bottom set of stripes. About 4 in in length (except in the case of half points, which are 2 in), they indicate the finished overall size (area) of a blanket and allow easy determination of the size of a blanket – even when folded. French weavers invented the point system in the mid-1700s since then, as now, blankets were shrunk as part of the manufacturing process. The word point derives from the French empointer, meaning "to make threaded stitches on cloth".[27]

Over the centuries the sizes of blankets have shifted, particularly during the twentieth century as beds became larger. Blankets of 2.5, 3, 3.5 and 4 point were most common during the fur-trade era. Today, Hudson's Bay blankets are commonly found in point sizes of 3.5 (twin bed), 4 (double), 6 (queen) and 8 (king).[27]

Modern point sizes The misconception persists that originally the points were an indication of a blanket's price in beaver pelts or even its weight. The number of pelts required to buy a blanket ranged widely by time and location, regardless of its size. Thickness and quality are the same blanket to blanket, and a larger blanket will naturally weigh more.[27]

• 1 point – 32 x 46 in, weight 1 lb (traditionally for cribs)
• 1.5 point – 36 x 51 in, weight 1 lb, (crib size)
• 2 point – 42 x 58 in, weight 2 lb
• 2.5 point – 50 x 66 in, weight 3 lb
• 3 point – 60 x 72 in, weight 4 lb

• 3.5 point – 63 x 81 in, weight 5 lb, (twin size)
• 4 point – 72 x 90 in, weight 6 lb, (double size)
• 6 point – 84 x 92 in, queen size (1960s)
• 8 point – 108 x 100 in, king size (1980s)[69]

Name in First Nations languages

The Hudson's Bay blanket is called by different names in First Nations languages. Some examples are:

• Baahlaads gyaa'adaay, Haida language[70]
• ʔa·q̓unaq, Kutenai language[71]

Gallery

See also

Further reading

External links

• Hudson's Bay Stripes - Canadian Tire Corporation
• Oshki Wupoowane - The Blanket Fund - The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund