[HOUDINI]. Houdini's Leather Upside Down Straitjacket Escape Leg Braces. 1920s. A pair of leather guards with three buckles for closure, used to secure the shins and ankles in the performance of an upside-down straitjacket escape. Houdini used these straitjacket escapes – suspended over a busy city street at mid-day – to draw huge crowds of spectators and subsequently sell tickets to his vaudeville and full-evening performances. When suspended upside down from a block-and-tackle arrangement, it was necessary to protect Houdini's legs and ankles. He sometimes resorted to padding his legs with cloth or even wadded paper, but leather supports such as these (replaced in the modern era with Gravity Boots) provided a much sturdier support. Length 13" each. Buckles corroded from age. With a letter of provenance tracing the ownership of the braces from Houdini to his brother Hardeen, to Joseph Yadah, and then to the Salon de Magie.