Figure 1.--These Children look English, but we suspect they may be from New zealand or South Africa. The photograph looks to be taken in the 1950s. The over-the-shoulder book bags they have were increasingly going out of style by this time.

We note that many boys in the mid-19th centuy in both America and Europe used a kind of belt around their books for school. This was standard in rural America. Most European boys in the late 19th and early 20th centuries had leather other the shoulder book bags. we are not precisely sure whn this style of bookbaf first appeared. This was primarily a style for primary school boys. Many of these look to have been of rather standard design. Thy seem rather large. Presumably boys at the time were mot intended to leave their books at school. Boys often had a smaller satchel for lunch, but this varied among countries. The same style seems to have been common from the late 19th century to World war II. After World War II, hand carried brire case-like satchels became common in Europe. we have seen them in america, but they were not as popular. American boys by the 940s were beginning to use military style back packs. Gradually companies began to offer these back packs epecially made for children and teens. These have also become very popular in Europe.

Created: November 21, 2003
Last updated: November 21, 2003