Vintage Striped Blanket - HBC Orange Wool Point Blanket - Hudson's Bay Company Striped Throw - Made in England - Cottage Cabin Rustic Throw

This is a beautiful vintage soft burnt orange HBC wool point blanket with 1 stripe at both ends. This is the 'gold' coloured blanket and dates to the 1950's (see the last photo for an advertisement of this blanket from the 50's). It is an iconic Canadian blanket that was made in England by the Hudson's Bay Company.

This blanket has 3.5 stripes.

Measurements: 62 x 74 inches.

Condition:
Excellent condition. Some light pilling. No visible holes or stains. It is in clean, beautiful condition. Please see photos.

Care: Dry clean.

Shipping:
Price includes tracking in Canada and USA. Items purchased from the USA are shipped from Niagara Falls, New York with USPS. Items bought in Canada are shipped from Toronto, Ontario with Canada Post. If you reside in Toronto, a pick up can be arranged. Overseas buyers (outside of USA and Canada) can expect the package to arrive in 2-4 weeks.

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Happy shopping :)

History of the Blanket:
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 1700s and 1800s. The company is named for the Hudson Bay and the blankets were typically traded to First Nations in exchange for beaver pelts. The blankets continue to be sold by Canada's Hudson's Bay stores and have come to hold iconic status in Canada. In the United States they can be found at luxury department store and Hudson's Bay sister chain Lord & Taylor.

In the North American fur trade, by 1700, wool blankets accounted for more than 60 per cent of traded goods. French fur-trader Germain Maugenest is thought to have advised the HBC to introduce point blankets.


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 well suited to Canada's cold winters.

Point System

Points are short black lines woven into the selvage of the blanket along the edge just above the bottom set of stripes. About four inches in length (except in the case of half points, which are two inches), they indicate the finished overall size (area) of a blanket and allow a blanket's size to be easily determined even when folded. The point system was invented by French weavers 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."

Over the centuries the sizes of blankets have shifted, particularly during the 1900s 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).

The misconception persists that originally the points were an indication of the blanket price in beaver pelts or even its weight. Thickness and quality are the same blanket to blanket, and a larger blanket will naturally weigh more.

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. Today the blankets are made in England by John Atkinson, a sub brand of A.W. Hainsworth & Sons Ltd.