Chasing Rainbows: Collecting American Indian Trade & Camp Blankets

By Barry Friedman and Barry Friedman

At the end of the nineteenth century, Pendleton and other American woolen mills began manufacturing dazzling geometric-pattern blankets for trade and sale to the American Indian. In 1911 the Beacon Manufacturing Company began producing cotton blankets in Native American-inspired patterns. Known today as Indian camp blankets, they are coveted by collectors nationwide. Indian trade and camp blankets have become icons of Adirondack and western decor, and Chasing Rainbows is the first book to cover both blanket types. Every manufacturer is discussed, including two previously unknown to collectors. Lavishly illustrated with hundreds of spectacular blankets, original manufacturers' catalog pages, and rare photographs of legendary figures such as Buffalo Bill and Geronimo, this lively book offers valuable information on the nuances of collecting: identifying and dating blankets from the "golden age" of the Indian trade blanket (1892-1942) and the Indian camp blanket (1911-1942), judging condition, finding blankets, and caring for them properly. The culmination of more than thirty years of research, Chasing Rainbows is an indispensable reference for collectors of Indian blankets and the many enthusiasts of rustic style as well as a fascinating look at the textile industry, Indian traders, and American Indians in the Old West. 320 full-color photographs and 60 black-and-white illustrations Book jacket.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0821227580
• ISBN13: 9780821227589
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: Bulfinch Press
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 4.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 9.6" x 11.8"