Photo by Robert E. Peary

In honor of the bizarre snowstorm that struck many of us in the Northeast over the weekend, today’s blog is about the Inuit fashions of the early 20th century.

When Robert Peary, Matthew Henson, and two Inuit guides became the first explorers to reach the North Pole, in 1909, they were dressed for the occasion.  By all accounts–except perhaps Peary’s–the team would never have reached the Pole without Henson’s contribution. His physical strength, vigorous stamina, and vast experience with ships and travel made him an ideal partner for Peary. And he also had great people skills–while on the survey trip to Greenland, Henson befriended the native Inuits, who taught him their language and the skills needed to become an expert dogsled driver. Charmed by his kindness and delighted with the color of his skin, so similar to their own, the Inuits taught him the most valuable secret of all: how to dress for the Arctic climate.

Here’s something Henson and Peary learned: What does the well-dressed Inuit wear to stay cozy and dry in wet weather? A raincoat made of walrus intestines.

To make this garment, the Inuit removed the intestines, turned them inside out, scraped them clean with a mussel shell, washed them in water and urine, blew them up with air, hung them to dry, and finally split them open and laid them out in the sun to bleach them. The long white strips were then sewn together. The whole process took about a month. The result was a lightweight, waterproof outer garment.

Inuits knew how to dress for the cold. In their animal skin garments they could stay outside for hours in -50 degree Fahrenheit weather, in garments weighing only 7 – 10 pounds.

Inuits wore snow goggles of wood or ivory to reduce the glare of the sun. Snow blindness—painful inflammation of the retina—was a real hazard.

Sealskin fur mittens often had two thumbs. Why? They could be swivelled around when the palms got wet.

Photo by George R. King, 1917