Hudson's Bay point 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, from 1779 to present. The blankets were typically traded to First Nations in exchange for beaver pelts as an important part of the North American fur trade. The blankets continue to be sold by Canada's Hudson's Bay department stores and have come to hold iconic status in the country.
The classic design featuring green stripe, red stripe, yellow stripe and indigo stripe on a white background
Poundmaker carrying a Hudson's Bay point blanket
Traditional capote made with a Hudson's Bay point blanket
HBC point blanket label since April 2017
A blanket is a swath of soft cloth large enough either to cover or to enfold most of the user's body and thick enough to keep the body warm by trapping radiant body heat that otherwise would be lost through convection.
The Bed by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec depicts two people under a blanket
Le déjeuner sur l'herbe, (right section) by Claude Monet
Blanket vendors in a market in Algeria