Revillon Frères (Revillon Brothers) was a French fur and

luxury goods In economics, a luxury good (or upmarket good) is a good (economics), good for which demand (economics), demand increases more than what is proportional as income rises, so that expenditures on the good become a more significant proportion of ove ...

company, founded in Paris in 1723. Then called ''la Maison Givelet'', it was purchased by Louis-Victor Revillon in 1839 and soon, as Revillon Frères, became the largest fur company in France. Branches were opened in London in 1869 and in New York in 1878. At the end of the 19th century, Revillon had stores in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, and

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

. Through its fur buying bureau in

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

, Germany (1876), and an agency in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

(1905), the company bought most of its furs from the markets of Moscow, Leipzig and at the annual fairs in

Nizhny Novgorod Nizhny Novgorod ( ; rus, links=no, Нижний Новгород, a=Ru-Nizhny Novgorod.ogg, p=ˈnʲiʐnʲɪj ˈnovɡərət, t=Lower Newtown; colloquially shortened to Nizhny) is a city and the administrative centre of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast an ...

(Gorki) at the Makaryev Fair and in Irbit at the Irbit Fair. From 1908-1909 Revillon Frères opened fur trading posts in

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

Mongolia Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...

and

Turkestan Turkestan,; ; ; ; also spelled Turkistan, is a historical region in Central Asia corresponding to the regions of Transoxiana and East Turkestan (Xinjiang). The region is located in the northwest of modern day China and to the northwest of its ...

. By 1912 Revillon Frères had 125 fur trading posts in America and Siberia. In the 1960s, Revillon acquired Grauer Furs, New York's preeminent fur manufacturing company. Grauer Furs was founded by

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

n immigrant William Grauer and later operated by Grauer's two sons, Abraham and Herman. In 1970, in a deal negotiated by Herman Grauer, Revillon became the fur supplier to Saks 5th Avenue. This arrangement lasted until 1995. In 1982, Revillon was acquired by

hypermarket A hypermarket or superstore is a big-box store combining a supermarket and a department store. The result is an expansive retail facility carrying a wide range of products under one roof, including full grocery lines and general merchandise. In ...

operator Cora, and became its luxury division Cora-Revillon. Subsequently, Cora-Revillon became a separate company, now privately owned, with Revillon as its primary brand. Besides furs, Revillon produces

perfume Perfume (, ) is a mixture of fragrance, fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds (fragrances), Fixative (perfumery), fixatives and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living-spaces an agre ...

Fur trading operation in Canada (1893–1936)

Former_headquarters_of_Revillon_Freres_for_Western_Canada

In 1899 Revillon Frères opened a wholesale warehouse in

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

and by 1903 had 23 stores across Canada. Owned by Victor Revillon, Revillon Frères eventually set up a network of fur-trading posts in northern

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

in direct competition with the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...

(HBC) composed of an eastern division and a western division. The western division included posts mostly in northern Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. In 1911 the company had 13 posts north and west of Athabasca Landing. Having acquired a depot in

Prince Albert Prince Albert most commonly refers to: *Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria *Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco Prince Albert may also refer to: Royalty * Alb ...

in 1904 they had an additional 10 posts from

The Pas The Pas ( , ) is a town in Manitoba, Canada, at the confluence of the Pasquia River and the Saskatchewan River and surrounded by the unorganized Northern Region of the province. It is approximately northwest of the provincial capital, Winn ...

to Brochet and Nueltin Lake at the edge of the

tundra In physical geography, a tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. There are three regions and associated types of tundra: #Arctic, Arctic, Alpine tundra, Alpine, and #Antarctic ...

. The eastern division was in the region of

James Bay James Bay (, ; ) is a large body of water located on the southern end of Hudson Bay in Canada. It borders the provinces of Quebec and Ontario, and is politically part of Nunavut. Its largest island is Akimiski Island. Numerous waterways of the ...

and Ungava Bay in the north of

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

which was served by their own fleet of ships. By 1909, Revillon had forty-eight stores in its Eastern Arctic division while HBC had fifty-two. Many of the

Inuit Inuit (singular: Inuk) are a group of culturally and historically similar Indigenous peoples traditionally inhabiting the Arctic and Subarctic regions of North America and Russia, including Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwe ...

villages in

Nunavik Nunavik (; ; ) is an area in Canada which comprises the northern third of the province of Quebec, part of the Nord-du-Québec region and nearly coterminous with Kativik. Covering a land area of north of the 55th parallel, it is the homelan ...

, in northern

, Canada, are located on sites originally occupied by Revillon Frères trading posts. It was incorporated in Canada in 1912 as the ''Revillon Frères Trading Company Ltd.''. In 1926 the Hudson's Bay Company bought 54% of the fur trade company and by 1936 the company was fully owned by the HBC. In 1938 the name was changed to ''Rupert's Land Trading Company''. Revillon Frères financed Robert Flaherty's 1922 film '' Nanook of the North'', filmed near one of their trading posts at

Inukjuak, Quebec Inukjuak (, ''Inujjuaq'' or ''Inukjuaq'' in Latin script, meaning 'The Giant') is a northern village (Inuit community) located on Hudson Bay at the mouth of the in Nunavik, in the region of northern Quebec, Canada. Its population is 1,821 as ...

on northeastern

Hudson Bay Hudson Bay, sometimes called Hudson's Bay (usually historically), is a large body of Saline water, saltwater in northeastern Canada with a surface area of . It is located north of Ontario, west of Quebec, northeast of Manitoba, and southeast o ...

, said to be Canada's first documentary. Ilya Andreyevich Tolstoy, the grandson of count

Leo Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy Tolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; ,Throughout Tolstoy's whole life, his name was written as using Reforms of Russian orthography#The post-revolution re ...

, stayed at the Revillon Frères Post of Windy Lake on

Nueltin Lake Nueltin Lake ( Chipewyan: , meaning "sleeping island lake") straddles the Manitoba—Nunavut border in Canada. The lake, which has an area of , is predominantly in Nunavut's Kivalliq Region, and on the Manitoba side there is the Nueltin Lake Ai ...

in the winter of 1928-1929. He was in a group attempting to get film footage of the migrating caribou for the William Douglas Burden and William C. Chanler's production, '' The Silent Enemy'', one of the last and greatest of the silent films, released in 1930. The

Glenbow Museum The Glenbow Museum is an art and history local museum, regional museum in the city of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The museum focuses on Western Canada, Western Canadian history and culture, including Indigenous perspectives. The Glenbow was establ ...

located in Calgary has a collection of over 300 photographs of the Revillon posts, ships and items sold in their stores. Many of the photographs were taken by Samuel Herbert Coward, the director of the Revillon Frères Trading Company Ltd. in Canada from 1904 to 1931. There is a Revillon Frères Museum in

Moosonee Moosonee () is a town in Northeastern Ontario, Canada, on the Moose River approximately south of James Bay. It is considered to be "the Gateway to the Arctic" and has Ontario's only saltwater port. Nearby, on Moose Factory Island, is the com ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

which has been closed for several years.

Revillon Posts in Canada

Western division

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

had a major store and warehouse and was the headquarters and distribution centre for the following posts. * Athabasca Landing, Alberta *

Grande Prairie Grande Prairie is a city in Northern Alberta, northwestern Alberta, Canada, within the southern portion of an area known as Peace River Country. It is located at the intersection of Alberta Highway 43, Highway 43 (part of the CANAMEX Corridor) ...

* Lesser Slave Lake, Alberta *

Spirit River, Alberta Spirit River is a town in northern Alberta, Canada. It is approximately north of Grande Prairie at the junction of Alberta Highway 49, Highway 49 and Highway 731. Demographics In the 2021 Canadian census, 2021 Census of Population conducted ...

* Sturgeon Lake (Alberta) * Peace River Crossing, Alberta * Peace River, Alberta *

Fort Vermilion, Alberta Fort Vermilion is a Hamlet (place), hamlet on the Peace River in northern Alberta, Canada, within Mackenzie County. Established in 1788, Fort Vermilion shares the title of oldest European settlement in Alberta with Fort Chipewyan. Fort Vermili ...

*Prairie Lake, Alberta * Keg River, Alberta *Wabiscond * Trout Lake, Alberta * Hay River, Northwest Territories *

Fort St. John, British Columbia Fort St. John is a city located in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. The most populous municipality in the Peace River Regional District, the city encompasses a total area of about with 21,465 residents recorded in the 2021 Census. Located ...

Prince Albert, Saskatchewan Prince Albert is the third-largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada, after Saskatoon and Regina, Saskatchewan, Regina. It is situated near the centre of the province on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. The city is known as the "Gateway ...

had a major store and was the headquarters for the following posts. * Buffalo River, Saskatchewan see Dillon, Saskatchewan *Clear Lake see Birch Narrows First Nation * Montreal Lake, Saskatchewan * La Ronge, Saskatchewan *

Stanley Mission Stanley Mission () is a First Nations settlement in the boreal forest northern Saskatchewan, Canada. Its location is on the banks of the Churchill River, northeast of the town of La Ronge, north of Prince Albert. Access is provided by H ...

, Saskatchewan * Île-à-la-Crosse, Saskatchewan * Souris River see

Pinehouse, Saskatchewan Pinehouse () is a northern village located in the boreal forest of Saskatchewan on the western shore of Pinehouse Lake within the Canadian Shield. Travelling by road from Pinehouse, the Key Lake mine is north, Prince Albert is south, La ...

* Green Lake, Saskatchewan *

La Loche, Saskatchewan La Loche () is a village in northwest Saskatchewan. It is located at the end of Highway 155 on the eastern shore of Lac La Loche in Canada's boreal forest. La Loche had a population of 2,827 in 2016 and is within the Northern Saskatchewan Adminis ...

* Pelican Narrows, Saskatchewan *

Cumberland House, Saskatchewan Cumberland House () is a community in Division No. 18, Saskatchewan, Census Division No. 18 in northeast Saskatchewan, Canada on the Saskatchewan River. It is the oldest community in Saskatchewan and has a population of about 2,000 people. Cum ...

* Pukatawagan, Manitoba *South Deer Lake at Southend, Saskatchewan *

(closed 1923) *

Brochet, Manitoba Brochet () is an unincorporated community located in Northern Manitoba on the northern shore of Reindeer Lake near the Saskatchewan border; it is designated as a northern community. There is no year-round road service to the mostly Cree popu ...

*Windy Lake

*Casimir ( Kasmere Lake)

Eastern division

had a major store and was the headquarters and distribution centre for the following posts located on James Bay, Hudson Bay and Labrador (list is incomplete). A fleet of ships, mostly schooners, were purchased to serve these posts. *Kamousitchonan Lake, James Bay area, Quebec * Wakeham Bay, Hudson Straight, Quebec * Fort Chimo, Ungava Bay, Hudson Straight, Quebec *Stratton Island, James Bay, Quebec * Port Harrison, Hudson Bay, Quebec * Fort George, James Bay, Quebec *Cape Dufferin, Quebec * Port Harrison, Quebec * Nemiscau, Quebec * Rupert House, Quebec * Wakeham Bay, Quebec * Kuujjuarapik, Quebec Whale River *Veenisk *

Attawapiskat First Nation The Attawapiskat First Nation ( Cree: , "People of the parting of the rocks"; unpointed: ) is an isolated First Nations in Canada, First Nation located in Kenora District in northern Ontario, Canada, at the mouth of the Attawapiskat River on J ...

, Ontario * Fort Albany, Ontario * Porcupine City, Ontario * Moose Factory, Ontario Moosonee * Matheson, Ontario * Pagwa River, Ontario * English River, Ontario

Revillon boats

*''Stord'' steamer *''Violet'' *''Adventure'' steamer 2,500 tons *''Albert Revillon'' three mast schooner *''Jean Revillon'' renamed ''Fort James'' (First ship to circumnavigate North American continent, 1928-29. Owned by Albert and Jean Revillon) *''Emilia'' schooner *''Annie E. Geele'' schooner *''Albany'' power boat

Gallery

File:Revillon Fur-Paletot and Jacket.jpg, Paletots by Revillon Frères at the

Exposition Universelle (1900) The Exposition Universelle of 1900 (), better known in English as the 1900 Paris Exposition, was a world's fair held in Paris, France, from 14 April to 12 November 1900, to celebrate the achievements of the past century and to accelerate develop ...

. File:Furs world-fair 1900.jpg,

Fur A fur is a soft, thick growth of hair that covers the skin of almost all mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an ...

s by Revillon Frères File:Irbit - Fur market.jpg, The fur market in Irbit (1900)

References

External links

"Fragments of Lost History" National Film Board of Canada Catalogue Number: NFB519970
{{DEFAULTSORT:Revillon Freres Fur trade Defunct companies of Quebec Hudson's Bay Company