The beaver was repeatedly mentioned in Kalm’s journal for its valuable skins, on one such occasion when he studied an old Boston newspaper during one of his stays in Philadelphia (7th Dec., 1749). Primarily for the European market, but also for the growing populations in the North American colonies along the east coast. Kalm’s observations in the late 1740s is in this case a most informative primary source with detailed descriptions from this period of the trade, including all types of animal fur/skins used for linings, accessories on clothes, muffs, fur coats etc. The continuous great demand for skins and fur garments in Europe of course made the North American market even more precious and important for the French and English traders during a period of several hundred years. But she also mentions that these laws were not effective and problems also arose in both Britain and other northern European countries, due to that many animals were hunted to near extinction for their valuable skins. Jane Ashelford describes these facts in her book The Art of Dress: ‘In the early Tudor period furs had been the chief symbol of rank and wealth and, as such, were strictly governed by sumptuary legislation’ (p. The great popularity and status for using furs in clothing during the 16th and 17th centuries was not only in demand because of the cold weather, its wearers were also dependent on the complex trade and regulations for different groups in the society.
Courtesy of: Folger Shakespeare Library, Digital Image Collection (6101). This depiction demonstrates fashion accessories more than a hundred years later, showing how important fur continued to be for fashion conscious men and women during wintertime in Europe.
‘A group of muffs and articles of dress on a table’, etching dating 1647. In addition the Europeans’ 16th to 18th century fashions, desires or needs for furs in various clothing increased the demand manifold. This location was primarily denoted in connection to the fur trade and among these observations he wrote in both English and French from Tadoussac: ‘White foxes from Tadoussac, renards blancs de Tadoussac.’ Pelts from foxes as well as many other mammals had long before the Europeans arrived to the north east coast of America been valuable and necessary trading goods for the Native Americans. Photo: The IK Foundation, London.Įven if Pehr Kalm never visited Tadoussac, he does mention it on numerous occasions in his journal (1749). Here a view over the all important road of trade – Saint Lawrence River – and Petite Chapelle de Tadoussace (Tadoussac Chapel) built 1747, just a few years before Kalm visited areas close-by. Tadoussac was one of the centres for fur trade between the French and the First Nation’s people during the 17th and 18th centuries – by which it was already an established trading post with a long history.
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