06/05/2026
Museum Monday’s Mystery was an old set of “book straps”. In the days before backpacks, students would either hold their books loose or bind them up in a pair of leather straps sometimes with a handle. This was not the original purpose for these straps, as they were invented to hold more adult items like sashes, bed rolls, and luggage. Students merely adopted them in mass, likely after seeing another student using it. But in the mid 20th century, as the amount of books used increased and nylon was invented backpacks took over. Originally hiking backpacks were used and in the 1970s, companies began selling them specifically for book bags.
More in this fascinating transition here
https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/11/02/445339503/from-book-strap-to-burrito-a-history-of-the-school-backpack
The only thing left to do is uncoil it and see how long it was. This is risky as the old leather could crack, so it must be done slowly, checking it’s flexibility as you unroll it.
It still seems to maintain a fair amount of flexibility, and I think we will store it open like this and not wired together with rusty metal.
It appears to have been donated with a bunch of other coiled up belts without handles, possibly used for the same thing.
