There has been considerable debate about the origin of such capes. Many examples exist in museums and collections in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, but most have little or no collection data. Nancy Lurie and Duane Anderson attribute them to the St Lawrence early tourist industry believing them to have been produced between 1830 and 1860. Nancy Lurie (personal communication) cites three main arguments. Firstly a specimen in the University of Iowa Museum of Natural History recorded as having been made for the Mesquakie Chief Poweshiek by his daughter in the winter of 1839; secondly a painting dating from 1844 depicting George Washington meeting with a group of Indians in which another such cape is clearly shown; and thirdly a specimen purchased at auction in England forming part of a collection made by an English officer stationed at various points along the St Lawrence River during the 1840s. We are grateful to Nancy Lurie for her assistance.