Montreal and the Indian Trade Silver

This historical account dates the manufacture of British silver ornaments for trade between 1775 and 1853. Montreal was the center of the fur trade. Here Silversmiths and merchants provided the silver required for the Indian trade. Maker's marks and trader accounts indicate that Robert Cruickshank, Pierre Hugeot Latour, Widow Schindler, Curtius, Charles Arnoldi, Peter Arnoldi, John Oates and Peter Bohle were among the silversmiths providing ornaments. Most of the Montreal fur traders were Scottish and heart and masonic brooches were inspired by Scottish originals. One silver brooch was worth one racoon skin, a large cross a small beaver of midlin buck, earbobs one doe. A report of 1852 indicates that every Indian village had a native silversmith. These ornaments were of brass and silver or of pounded silver coin cut into patterns

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