Origins of the Capote

The capote came to be associated with the Hudson’s Bay Company and is sometimes referred to as the “Hudson’s Bay coat.” But it is also more generally associated with the French habitants and voyageurs, as it originated in New France. The term “capot” or “capote” comes from the French word for cloak. “Capote” is a term used in North America since the early 1600s when French sailors were trading their coats with the Micmac on the Atlantic coast. Pierre Radisson (1636-1701) mentions wearing a “cappot” or “capot” in his autobiographical journal long before any Hudson’s Bay Company records mention such an item.

These popular style coats were standard issue during the French and Indian War and the American Revolution and many times were made by the soldiers from issue blankets. By the mid-19th century, the popularity of the Capote had spread westward with the fur trade and it was commonly seen in use by the Indians of the Northern Plains, Rocky Mountains and Columbian Plateau. There were also many commercially made Capotes available. For instance, in 1824, a St. Louis newspaper carried an ad from an oufitter listing “Red Blanket Coats for Sale”.

On occasion the term capote was used for greatcoats made from various types of hide or leather. Some descriptions suggest that the earliest capotes may not always have been hooded. Others claim that the early Canadian-made capotes resembled the aristocratic “justaucorps” coats – tight fitting above the waist and flared below to the knee. While originally referring to a variety of coats, over time the term capote came to refer specifically to the hooded blanket wrap coat widely worn by European fur traders and native traders. There were variations in style and fabric, but mostly capotes are described as being made from some form of wool blanketing or heavy woven cloth, such as the homespun “etoffe du pays” made in New France. From the late 1700s on, capotes were most commonly made from “point blankets,” (woolen blankets marked on one edge with dark lines or “points” denoting their size). The most common capotes were simply tied shut with attached ribbon ties or with a long woven belt called an Assumption sash. Some capotes, particularly in later years, were closed with buttons or some form of toggle.

With the variety of materials available, it is not surprising that capotes were made in many different colors and decorative patterns. Early capotes made from locally-woven cloth in New France would have been primarily grey, whereas coats made from point blankets or manufactured and sold as ready-made capotes came in many colors and stripe patterns.

Fur traders from Montreal, the Nor’Westers and others, adopted the capote very early. After 1821, when the Hudson’s Bay and North West companies merged under the Hudson’s Bay Company name, the use of capotes became, if anything, even more universal. Throughout the 19th century, at sites such as Rocky Mountain House, Fort St. James, Lower Fort Garry, York Factory and Churchill, capotes would have been the most common type of winter coat.

Many surviving photographs show capotes that were locally-made from trade blankets. A high proportion of these photos show coats made from white point blankets with colored stripes. Blankets in any of the available colour and stripe patterns would also have been sewn into capotes. The strong preference for native hunters was white, as it provided camouflage in the snow. In the 19th century ready-made capotes were also available. The Hudson’s Bay Company purchased capotes from several manufacturers in England for sale to its employees and Aboriginal customers.