How To Date A Pendleton Blanket

Permit's begin at the get-go – what is an Indian trade blanket? Indian merchandise blankets are commercially woven wool blankets with hitting geometric patterns. Trade blankets have long been an integral function of Native American culture. They're used for habiliment, bedding, warmth, ceremonial dances and gifts for important occasions.

The original Indian trade blankets were the multi-striped signal blankets imported by the Hudson's Bay Company from English language woolen mills. From 1780 to 1890 the point blanket was a staple in every fur trader's inventory and thousands upon thousands establish their way into indigenous hands.

However, some other weaving tradition began in the 18th century. The Navajo tribe of the American Southwest wove sheep's wool into classic wearing blankets that became coveted trade items.

When the Indian Wars ended in 1890 the reservation organisation began. With all the tribes now wards of the United States government, federally licensed Indian trading posts were established. The Indian traders promptly invented a new fabric – the Navajo rug. It was a much heavier textile than the traditional Navajo wearing blanket and designed specifically for the floors of non-Indian homes. The designs were based on the Oriental rugs popular in the eastern United states. From that fourth dimension frontwards the Navajo ceased making wearing blankets and wove but rugs for sale through the white traders.

With the Navajos now exclusively weaving rugs, commercial woolen mill operators saw an opportunity to sell their automobile-made blankets to the Indians and the issue was Indians selling rugs to whites and whites selling Indian blankets to Native Americans – a practice that continues to this day. For over a hundred and ten years Indian blankets accept been made for Indians, not by them!

Indian merchandise blankets are often referred to generically as Pendleton blankets. While Pendleton is the only pioneer Indian blanket manufacturer however in existence, at that place were many companies that made Indian blankets.

The prominent manufacturers were:

J. Capps & Sons – Jacksonville, Illinois – They were the first mill to produce Indian trade blankets – sending out their beginning samples on June 17, 1892. They manufactured under the J. Capps & Sons label and also as the American Indian Blanket Mills. Capps blankets are often quite simple in blueprint, only elegant in their simplicity. They were extremely well woven and highly collectible. Capps ceased Indian coating production by 1917.

Buell Manufacturing Company – St. Joseph, Missouri – Buell fabricated the nigh faithful copies of truthful Indian designs and stopped producing after 1911. Buells have always been extremely difficult to obtain.

Racine Woolen Mills – Racine, Wisconsin – Racine made remarkably beautiful blankets and marketed them equally the Badger State line. They specialized in fancy Indian shawls – in other words, fringed blankets. Trade coating manufacturers refer to fringed blankets equally shawls and non-fringed blankets as robes. Racine ceased production in 1912, only connected in business organization selling blankets manufactured past other mills.

Shuler & Benninghofen Woolen Mill – Hamilton, Ohio – S & B'southward Hamilton Blankets line shared designs with Racine and issued a about identical catalog in 1911. When is a Racine non a Racine? – when it's a Hamilton!

Oregon City Woolen Mills – Oregon City, Oregon – Oregon City made some of the wildest patterns of all and produced from approximately 1905 until 1935. Their line of novelty pictorial blankets – the Let 'Er Buck, Totem Pole and Happy Hunting Ground blankets are highly prized by many collectors and fetch loftier prices.

Knight Woolen Mills – Provo, Utah – Organized originally equally the Provo Woolen Mills past Brigham Young, the visitor was subsequently bought past mining tycoon Jesse Knight and manufactured first-class Indian blankets which they called Provo Robes. Verbal dates of production are unknown, just 1915-1920 is likely. Extremely rare.

Pendleton Woolen Mills – Pendleton, Oregon – Their first Indian blanket rolled off the looms in 1896 and they're yet at information technology! Hundreds of patterns take emerged from the Pendleton factory over the years including the enduring Harding and Chief Joseph patterns. Over the years Pendleton'due south primary Indian blanket lines have been Pendleton, Beaver State, Cayuse and Blackfoot. The latter two were budget labels and used remanufactured wool every bit opposed to the virgin wool used in the Pendleton and Beaver Country lines. But the Beaver State line of Indian blankets has been made in the modernistic era. INSTANT Good TIP: Pendleton blankets with round corners like the magnificent backgammon pattern instance pictured on this page were made between 1896 and 1908. All Pendletons made after 1908 take foursquare corners.

HOW Old Exercise TRADE BLANKETS Accept TO BE?
Serious vintage blanket collectors seek pre-1942 blankets. In 1942 all mills were converted to war utilise and no Indian blankets were made for the duration of the hostilities. Pendleton began producing Indian blankets over again in 1947 just drastically reduced the numbers of patterns they produced.

ARE THE BLANKETS PEOPLE COLLECT FORMERLY Endemic BY INDIANS?
Probably not. The coating companies began selling to non-Indians almost immediately and it is primarily these blankets that survive. Indians tended to use their blankets until at that place was well-nigh zip left to utilize. Also, many Indians used blankets as burial robes and some tribes continue this practice today. Pawned blankets currently offered for sale by traders nearly the reservations are rarely older than the 1990'due south. While certainly some wonderful early trade blankets remain with Indian families they almost never find their way to the marketplace.

WHAT ARE THE MOST DESIRABLE COLORS?
Avant-garde collectors value main colors the highest – with cherry and black combinations the most desirable. The mills made more predominately brownish blankets than any other color and while certainly collectible, these earthtones along with pastels almost always bring less money than reds, blacks, blues and deep greens.

ARE ALL INDIAN TRADE BLANKETS WOOL?
In a word, yes. Cotton blankets were never bought past Indians.

HOW Of import IS CONDITION?
This is an area open up to individual taste. I prefer my blankets in mint unused condition, simply many quite astute collectors (a certain Mr. Lauren comes to mind) prefer blankets that prove years of very hard apply.

WHO EXPERTLY REPAIRS DAMAGED BLANKETS?
Nobody I know.

WHY WOULD I COLLECT MACHINE-Made INDIAN Merchandise BLANKETS RATHER THAN HANDMADE NAVAJO WEAVINGS?

It's not a instance of either/or. I give y'all my permission to love both! The 2 types of textiles mix beautifully. Merchandise blankets are old, brilliantly colored, feature remarkable designs, are eminently affordable and Indians themselves loved them enough to buy them by the hundreds of thousands. Chief Joseph and Geronimo owned them – yous should, too. Besides, if y'all collect Indian blankets seriously you volition eventually meet me and I'm a legend in my own lunchtime.

Source: https://barryfriedmanblankets.com/wool-trade-blankets/

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