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HomeExploreHealth & FitnessVintage Physical Culture and Exercise Photos
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Strongmen posed for studio portraits, schoolchildren did calisthenics between their desks, and gymnasts filled entire stadiums with synchronized drills. These period photographs trace the places where people trained from the 1890s through the mid-20th century.

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Images14

1
Eugen Sandow’s Studio Portrait, 1894
Eugen Sandow’s Studio Portrait, 1894: Eugen Sandow leans against a studio column in Benjamin J. Falk’s 1894 portrait. The…
2
All-Sokol Slet, Prague, 1938
All-Sokol Slet, Prague, 1938: Rows of gymnasts fill Prague’s Strahov stadium during the tenth All-Sokol gathering in July…
3
Swedish Ling Gymnastics, 1910–1911
Swedish Ling Gymnastics, 1910–1911: Women practice Ling gymnastics in a hall at Stockholm’s Royal Central Institute of…
4
Classroom Calisthenics, Washington, D.C., c. 1899
Classroom Calisthenics, Washington, D.C., c. 1899: The pupils in Frances Benjamin Johnston’s photograph exercise while…
5
Charles Atlas, c. 1920
Charles Atlas, c. 1920: Charles Atlas poses for a studio portrait around 1920. Atlas went on to sell a mail-order exercise…
6
Women’s Physical Education at USC, c. 1920
Women’s Physical Education at USC, c. 1920: Women in the University of Southern California’s physical education class stand…
7
Herron Gymnasium Calisthenics, 1908
Herron Gymnasium Calisthenics, 1908: Women perform calisthenics in formation for an exhibition at Herron Gymnasium. Frank…
8
Japanese Radio Calisthenics, 1930s
Japanese Radio Calisthenics, 1930s: Participants exercise together in this 1930s photograph of rajio taisō, Japan’s radio…
9
Physical Culture Parade, Moscow, 1935
Physical Culture Parade, Moscow, 1935: A formation of girls carrying small flags takes part in Moscow’s physical culture…
10
Women’s League of Health and Beauty, Hyde Park
Women’s League of Health and Beauty, Hyde Park: In London’s Hyde Park, members of the Women’s League of Health and Beauty…
11
Abbye Stockton at Muscle Beach, 1947
Abbye Stockton at Muscle Beach, 1947: Abbye “Pudgy” Stockton holds a weight overhead while a crowd watches at the original…
12
School Dumbbell Drill in Shanghai, c. 1901
School Dumbbell Drill in Shanghai, c. 1901: Children exercise with hand weights at Shanghai’s South Gate Presbyterian…
13
Joseph Pilates at Jacob’s Pillow, Mid-20th Century
Joseph Pilates at Jacob’s Pillow, Mid-20th Century: Joseph Pilates stands among dancers practicing on mats at Jacob’s…
14
Gymnastics Display in Australia, 1939
Gymnastics Display in Australia, 1939: Girls raise their arms together in an outdoor gymnastics display in August 1939…

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