A Place to Pause: The History of Bookmarks and the Art of Pagekeeping
- Melanie Grant
- 7 days ago
- 2 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
We’ve all done it—marked our place in a book with a sticky note, a receipt, a scrap of ribbon, or even something more unexpected. (A librarian once reported finding a slice of bread and jam inside a returned book.) The urge to save our spot is timeless and so too is the object we’ve created to do just that: the bookmark.
The history of bookmarks is as rich and varied as the books they’ve lived in. The term “bookmark” feels modern, its origins stretch back to the 6th century. One of the earliest known examples was a strip of leather attached to a codex found in an Egyptian monastery. Even St. Augustine, in 400 AD, referred to using his finger—or “some other mark”—to hold his place. Before page numbers were standardized, bookmarks were a necessary companion to any careful reader.
Over the centuries, bookmarks evolved in both purpose and design. In the Middle Ages, they were called “bookmarkers” or “registers” and were often strips of vellum or parchment. By the 15th century, silk ribbons sewn into the binding became common, and Queen Elizabeth I herself received a fringed silk bookmark from her royal printer.
During the Victorian and Edwardian eras, bookmarks became exquisite miniatures of art: embroidered, tasseled, printed with chromolithographic advertisements, or made of celluloid, silver, or even ivory. They were tokens of culture, of commerce, and sometimes of caution—used by public health groups to spread awareness or by libraries to teach children to treat books gently.
Today, bookmarks are often overlooked—tucked in with a book purchase, dog-eared from the corner of a page, or replaced with a phone screenshot. But I believe there’s still magic in holding a beautiful object that marks your journey through a story.
That’s why I create Page Keepers.
More than just placeholders, these tiny works of art are hand-crafted companions for your reading rituals. Built cleverly around a paper clip, they tuck securely onto your page without damaging it—function meets beauty. Each one is collaged, and sewn in small batches, turning the ordinary act of saving your place into a moment of joy.
In a world that moves fast, let your Page Keeper be a gentle reminder: some moments are worth returning to.
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