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Beaver fur has long been used in making muffs, stoles, collars, trimmings, and felt for hats. [4] The American beaver scores a 90/100 on the Austin Fur Durability chart [5] making it practical for utilitarian items such as linings. In the 21st century beaver is considered a premium fur and is often seen as very attractive to designers.
Modern fur trapping and trading in North America is part of a wider $15 billion global fur industry where wild animal pelts make up only 15 percent of total fur output. In 2008, the global recession hit the fur industry and trappers especially hard with greatly depressed fur prices thanks to a drop in the sale of expensive fur coats and hats.
The fur trade began to significantly decline starting in the 1830s, following changing attitudes and fashions in Europe and America which no longer centered around certain articles of clothing as much such as beaver skin hats, which had fueled the growing demand for furs, driving the creation and expansion of the fur trade in the 17th and 18th ...
[131] [132] [133] The fur trade peaked between 1860 and 1870, when over 150,000 beaver pelts were purchased annually by the Hudson's Bay Company and fur companies in the United States. [134] The contemporary global fur trade is not as profitable due to conservation, anti-fur and animal rights campaigns.
The beaver is also the symbol of the Royal Canadian Engineers both combat and civil. Busy beaver is a term in theoretical computer science which refers to a terminating program of a given size that produces the most output possible. Much of the early economy of New Netherland was based on the beaver fur trade.
Cheaper alternatives were pelts of wolf, Persian lamb or muskrat. It was common for ladies to wear a matching hat. In the 1950s, a must-have type of fur was the mutation fur (naturally nuanced colours) and fur trimmings on a coat that were beaver, lamb fur, Astrakhan and mink. [7] In 1970, Germany was the world's largest fur market.
Native Americans made use of the trade goods received, particularly knives, axes, and guns. The fur trade provided a stable source of income for many Native Americans until the mid-19th century when changing fashion trends in Europe and a decline in the beaver population in North America brought about a collapse in demand for fur. [16]
The term "a fur" may connote a coat, wrap, or shawl. The manufacturing of fur clothing involves obtaining animal pelts where the hair is left on the animal's processed skin. In contrast, making leather involves removing the hair from the hide or pelt and using only the skin. Fur is also used to make felt.