Maine Memory Network

British cartographer John Speed based this map on an earlier series by Dutch cartographers Jansson and Visscher. Speed’s version, one of the earliest British maps of the region, demonstrates the colonial transition of New Amsterdam to New York, and depicts England as the region’s dominate colonial power. It first appeared in Prospect of the most famous parts of the world (1676), an atlas published in London nearly fifty years after Speed’s death.

Maps like this were both propaganda tools and cartographic renderings for colonists. English place names intentionally overwhelm Indigenous place or community names, which are scattered and often incorrect, deceptively conveying a sense of Native disorganization and English dominance. The presence of animal illustrations like beaver, bear, fox, egret, ermine, elk, and otter, illustrate the importance of North American natural resources to the European market, particularly the fur trade.

Micmac: kopit
Maliseet/Passamaquoddy: qapit
Penobscot: təmahkwe
English: beaver
Latin name: castor candensis

Beavers play a significant role in the environment. Their dams and lodges foster wetland ecosystems, providing necessary habitats for fish, other animals, and vegetation. As beaver populations decreased, this terrain disappeared. This adversely impacted human populations, especially Indigenous communities who stewarded and relied on a balanced ecosystem for thousands of years before European arrival.

Beavers and the fur trade The North American beaver is a study in the environmental and economic impact of the New England fur trade. By the 17th century, the European beaver was nearly extinct, overhunted and depleted after centuries of fur trading. The North American beaver, with its superior fur, soon replaced its endangered European cousin in the marketplace. New fashions, especially men’s hats, only increased the demand, which grew into an insatiable business, devastating beaver populations in Europe and North America alike. A beaver’s thick underbelly fur is optimal for felting, the process where fur is combed and boiled to create an ideal fabric for hats. Beaver hats reached their fashionable peak in the mid to late 19th century.

By the 1850s, North American beaver populations were at an all-time low, about 100,000 in number, compared to an estimated 400 million before the arrival of European settler-colonialists. In New England, beaver populations were almost non-existent by the mid-19th century. A decrease in demand, due to shifting fashion tastes, environmental activism, and public awareness, allowed the population to rebound, with an estimated 15 million beavers in North America today.

Portland retailer Alfred L. Merry (1852-1935) operated his hat, cap, and fur business from about 1877 until 1903. During the 1880s, he styled his Middle Street storefront as “Merry, The Hatter” with signature “gold hat” signage. Evidence suggests Merry was a hat retailer, rather than a hat maker, but the phrase hatter is appropriate in both instances.

The curled brim on this beaver fur hat is raised slightly on each side, a style known as d’orsay. A visible dark green silk lining adds detail to the distinct curved feature. The grosgrain silk ribbon around hat’s crown was a popular feature of the era.

Designed by Portland hatmaker Byron Greenough & Co., this mid-19th century beaver fur hat is in the regent style, sometimes referred to as stovepipe, or chimney style. The brim is straighter, and less curved than the d’orsay style. Both the regent and d’orsay styles originated in the 1820s, with each remaining popular throughout the 19th century.

Byron Greenough (1798-1871) arrived in Portland from Massachusetts in 1821. His successful hat, fur, and shoe business operated at the end of Free Street, in a stretch of buildings initially known as the “Byron Greenough Block” and later “H. H. Hay Block.” Modern visitors might know it as Portland’s miniature “flat iron building” near the Portland Museum of Art (2022.) Greenough moved his business to Middle Street around the time this hat was made. He retired in 1870, but his business carried on under successive owners.

Byron Greenough’s retail business sold hats, caps, footwear, furs, and fancy goods, a term for novelty items or accessories−such as this fur muff, intended to keep a lady’s hands warm in winter. The muff was likely made from several different types of fur, shown by the mix in color and texture. Byron Greenough & Co. worked in otter, lynx, fitch (weasel), squirrel, and beaver. The muff is lined in silk.

A very successful venture, at its peak Byron Greenough & Co. employed about a dozen retail clerks, several traveling salesmen, and as many as fifty young women and girls who crafted the products. The business bought and sold fur pelts and distributed their goods throughout Northern New England and Eastern Canada.

A custom-made cylinder-shaped box, pasted in period newspaper clippings, accompanied the muff when donated to MHS. The lid, displayed here, includes an advertisement for Bryon Greenough & Co.’s retail store at its Middle Street location.