Indian Clubs originated in India where they were used by the soldiers in the British Army in their various athletic drills. Their popularity as exercise equipment found its way to England and eventually to America when they were introduced in the 1860's by S.D. Kehoe, a fitness enthusiast and business man. What followed, as they say, is History!
This was the beginning of America's physical fitness mania and sports clubs, gyms, and schools of the period featured Indian Club exercises. The clubs' function was not only to develop muscle and physical fitness, but many of the exercises were choreographed for their visual elegance and boldness of execution. In this context the clubs were fancifully decorated with paint or other surface treatments while even others were made of laminated woods.
There are "long clubs" and "short clubs" and devotees of each. Certain routines designed for the long clubs could not be effectively accomplished with the short clubs. The "long club", when held upon the arm extended horizontally, should reach to the point of the shoulder where the arm and shoulder join. These clubs are considered by most to be the "proper" Indian Club. The marking No 6 on the clubs has nothing to due with weight in this case, but relative length. In many cases of the short clubs we see the weight marked.
As stated by Alice Hoffman in her book, Indian Clubs, "The makers ability to combine functionalism with the qualities of sculptural vigor and artistic inventiveness in the finished product is what elevates Indian Clubs to the level of folk art. Collecting Indian Clubs is still in its infancy and there are still many treasures to be found out there. We are always excited when we find clubs that are out of the ordinary and so are pleased to present these No. 6 clubs which are considered to be "long clubs" and are 24" in length. They are in their original paint and show expected "in use" wear, but not abuse. They have good color and make a very imposing appearance.
R3H05008
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