Maine's Capital Area

The Maine State Museum’s newest exhibition, “Beyond Boundaries: The World of the Capote,” opens to the public on Saturday, October 1, 2016. The museum is open that day from 10 am to 4 pm. Admission is free of charge all day.

The exhibition’s centerpiece is a remarkable man’s blanket coat, known as a capote, dating from around 1842 and most likely made by a Maliseet woman. This garment, which includes moccasins and matching leggings, symbolizes a region of northern Maine and nearby Canada where a rich blend of French and Native American culture persisted for over 200 years.

“Capotes were the usual man’s winter coat among the Natives of the Maine and Maritimes region and so were once common,” according to the exhibit’s curator Bruce Bourque. “But, as pieces of basically utilitarian clothing, they were not preserved when worn out and are now of exceptional rarity. The museum was very fortunate to acquire this capote and its accessories a few years ago at a local auction. It is one of only two known surviving Native American examples of this type of garment in North America. After careful conservation and study, it is now being exhibited to the public for the first time.”

“Beyond Boundaries: The World of the Capote” will be on view for one year. For more information about the Maine State Museum, call 207-287-2301 or visit the museum’s website www.mainestatemuseum.org.