Early 1920s Archival Pilates German Advertisements
I’m really excited about these ads, which provide a fascinating glimpse into the early days of Joe’s business, and cast new light on Elfriede.
In the early 1920s, Joseph and Elfriede Pilates placed frequent advertisements for their services, which included therapies for gout, rheumatism, movement disorders, sciatica, and women’s issues between the two of them
While they didn’t get into details, the therapies they provided were those such as therapeutic gymnastics, massage, orthopedics, natural light method, eye diagnosis, and more.
Interestingly, they advertised separately for their different services, suggesting they were each running their own unique businesses out of the same address. They both placed these ads monthly, and Ms. Pilates advertised more than Joe did.
My favorite one is the time when their regular ads appeared next to each other in the same issue.
I hope to learn more about what equipment they might have been using. As we know from previous ads I’ve shared here, Elfriede did advertise the Universal Reformer in later ads, suggesting that she knew how to use it and that she kept Joe’s original reformers when he moved to the US.
Images first shared 10/23/24
See also: Contrology Ads
Joseph Pilates Earliest Known German Advertisements
Special Research Find… From The Pilates History Research Archive™!
It is super thrilling to present the earliest known advertisements placed by Joseph Pilates… dating back to 1919 and 1920 in Germany! Incredibly, these ads provide an unusually amazing amount of insight into the early stages of Joe Pilates’ effort to promote his method, gymnasium, and teaching.
Through these primary sources, we have learned:
- That Joe opened a gym in 1919 that specialized in corrective exercise, therapeutic gymnastics, massage, boxing, and BREATHING exercises!
- He also advertised the teaching of wrestling, self defense (with and without weapons!), fencing, and WEIGHTLIFTING!
- That he marketed his method to MEN, WOMEN, and CHILDREN! And not just to men or boxers, as was generally thought before now.
- That Joe himself claimed to have rehabilitated his German comrades who were wounded in English captivity while he was held there.
Since these ads are in German, I used a translator to try to get the best English translation I could. There are obvious flaws but it helps to understand what he was trying to get across. Images first shared on 9/25/24.
See also: Contrology Advertisements
Grosskampf! 1920’s Ad from Germany
In the early 1920’s, Joe Pilates achieved great success as a boxer and boxing teacher. He was mentioned in numerous articles over the years in regards to his boxing matches, wins, and losses. This article in particular stands out because it mentions that Joe Pilates was the oldest active boxer in German at the time.
German Pilates Universal Reformer ad, circa late 1920s
Through multiple primary sources, we know that Joe Pilates initially developed his Universal Reformer in Germany, where his first gym was located.
We’ve often wondered what became of his apparatus after he moved to the United States in 1926. Now, due to this incredible research find, The Pilates Source® has developed a theory that his wife, Elfriede Pilates who remained in Germany, kept his apparatus and continued to use it with her patients.
These late 1920s ads from Germany are rich with information, and offer us an incredible glimpse at Elfriede Pilates. If it as it appears, and that she used his Universal Reformer with her patients, arguably the first pilates pre-Elder after Joe.
Fascinatingly, it appears that Elfriede was a medical practitioner who studied under the famed Dr. Thure Brandt, who developed a particular pelvic massage in the late 1800s that restored the uterus to its proper place as a cure for common complaints of women, such as headaches, backaches, fatigue, and depression.
Perhaps Elfriede and Joe had more in common with each other than it has been widely speculated. We hope to continue to learn more about Elfriede and her role in the very early days of Contrology.
In the meantime, we can enjoy the translation of her ads, which sound very similar to the terminology that Joe also used to describe the benefits of the Universal Reformer!!
Note: so the translator app could accurately translate the ad, I had to type a few of the letters into the ad that were too blurry for the translator to pick up on.
Images first shared on 9/25/24.
