Joseph H.

Pilates: The History

By: MeJo Wiggin



Joseph Hubertus Pilates was born on December 9, 1883, in Monchengladbach,
Germany
(1)
just outside of Dusseldorf. Joe was the second oldest child of nine children.
According to Prussian records, his father, Friederich, was a fitter or mechanic by trade.
Interviews with family members say that he was also a prize-winning gymnast who at
some point ran a gym.
(2)
His mother was said to be a self-educated Naturopath, who
believed in holistic ways to stimulate the body to heal itself. Growing up with his fathers
commitment to fitness, and his mothers philosophy on wellness, it mostly likely played
significant role on Joes philosophy of health and fitness.

Most of his childhood, Joe was plagued with illness. He suffered with rickets,
asthma, and rheumatic fever. Other children bullied him, even making fun of his name.
They called him Pontius Pilate, killer of Christ.
(2)
Being sick and unable to defend himself,
he became determined to overcome his illness and develop his body. Joe began studying
the human body when a family physician gave him an old anatomy book that was about to
be discarded. Joe said; I learned every page, every part of the body; I would move each
part as I memorized it.
(2)
He began studying both Eastern and Western forms of exercise
including: Yoga, Zen, and Tai Chi. He studied the ancient Greek and Roman philosophies of
exercise and began his own physical regimen of body building, boxing, gymnastics, skiing,
and diving. By the early age of fourteen, Joe had changed his body so dramatically, that he
was asked to pose as a model for anatomy charts. This was just the beginning of his
lifelong dedication to physical and mental well-being.

Joe married his first wife, Maria, at the age of 22. They
had one daughter, Lena (Helene) born November 30, 1906, in
Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Maria died in Germany in 1913,
when Leni was only seven years old.
(1)
Very little is known
about Leni or her upbringing. According to US Customs, the
only record of her coming to the US was in 1939. She claimed
she was visiting Joe. She also claimed her married name was
Helene Friedrich and she lived in Heumar, Germany.
(3)


England

In his late twenties Joe decided to go to England to
further his training as a boxer. He and his brother Fred were
hired by a German circus troupe. They toured England performing a live human Greek
statue act. He continued boxing and eventually became an instructor in self-defense.
Outbreak of World War I

In August of 1914, World War I began. A new policy of internment was passed and
Britain was suddenly faced with an issue of what to do with the enemy aliens:

The initial question following the outbreak of the war and the introduction of
internment of foreign aliens was where to house internees. During the first few
months the solution was to use temporary accommodations such as horse boxes at
Newbury Race, and old wagon factory at Lancaster, and a young mens Holiday
Camp at the Isle of Man.
(10)


At the beginning of the war, only a few camps existed, but by January 1918, over 566
different places of internment were recorded. They included schools, hospitals,
unoccupied factories, tents, stables, farms, castles, and ships. Most of the foreign civilians
ended up at the Isle of Man.
(8)
According to the British National Archives, there are very
few records of individual internees since most of the records were destroyed in World War
II. However, Joes family members have confirmed that he was held intern at a temporary
camp in Lancaster, and was eventually transferred to the Isle of Man.

During the war, there were two internment camps on the Isle of Man. The
Cunninghams Young Mens Holiday Camp in Douglas was the first. It was already an
established camp and able to house men. By October of 1914, it was overpopulated with
sailors and internees so a second, much larger camp was built at the Knockaloe Moar Farm.
(Since the camp in Douglas was full at the onset of the war, by the time Joe arrived from the
mainland; he was most likely sent to Knockaloe.) There are records that document that
when Knockaloe started housing prisoners in mid November of 1914, it first took the
overflow of 700 men from Douglas. After that, The first batch of aliens had been interned
on ships; the next batch of aliens came from internment camps at Bradford, Lancaster, and
one near Cheshire.
(7)
The initial plan was for Knockaloe to house 5,000 men, but by July
1915 there were 23,000 internees! (Douglas only had 2,700).

It was during these five idle years of internment that Joe continued to develop and
practice his ideas about health and fitness. He taught wrestling and self-defense to his
fellow internees and became very popular among them. It was here that he started refining
his method of physical conditioning which he called, Contrology. It is noted that Joe
taught over 8,000 internees his physical culture and later boasted that of all the internees
that followed his regimen, not a single one of them contracted the influenza epidemic that
killed thousands in England in 1918.
(6)


Being away from family and unable to work, boredom was a big problem among the
interns. Unfortunately, interns carried out little work partly due to the trade union
opposition and the German phobia which existed in the country.

In addition, internees
could only carry out unskilled labor and only fill a few labor shortages.
(10)
In the fall of
1916, a Prisoner of war Employment Committee was formed, which lifted these restrictions
and allowed internees to work in the camps.

It was most likely during this time that Joe
began working in one of the hospitals as a nurse/ physical therapist.

Having been a sick, frail child, he was determined to find a way to help people
confined to a bed from illness or injury. Joe experimented by taking bedsprings and rigging
them up to the hospital bed headboards and footboards. He also hooked springs to
wheelchairs. These springs provided a form of resistance to those confined. He also
devised a variety of handholds above the beds, for patients and nurses to hold to facilitate
changing patient positions. These small apparatus drew great attention from doctors as
they witnessed tremendous improvement in their patients strength and health. These first
bed springs led to Joes first official piece of apparatus, which later became known as the
Trap Table or Cadillac.


Post War Germany

Joe returned to Germany after the war. He married his second wife, Elfriede, (four
years his senior) in Westphalia, Germany on October 10, 1919
(1).
They lived in Hamburg,
and Joe began training the Hamburg Military Police, boxers, and others in self-defense and
Contrology. He continued his study of ancient Greek and Roman philosophies, and took an
interest s in holistic therapies. For the next seven years he continued refining his method
and developing apparatus. He met Rudolph Von Laban the originator of Labnotation, (the
most widely used form of dance notation). Von Laban incorporated some of Joes method
into his own teaching, and Joes method started taking hold in the world of dance.

Impressed by his skills, the German government asked Joe to come and train the
New German Army. Since Joe did not like the political direction that Germany was heading,
he decided to move to America. On April 27, 1926, at the age of 42, Joe arrived in New
York.
(3)
It was on this voyage that he met Ann Clara Zuener (Clara) who became his
lifelong partner.












Life in America, 1926

During his first years in New York, Joe took over a boxers training gym near the
original location of Madison Square Garden, at 939 Eight Avenue. At that time, this was a
busy training area for boxers, dancers, and athletes. Joe became well know in the boxing
world and news of his method of physical and mental conditioning spread to other
professionals. Joe met and quickly became friends with Nat Fleischer, the founder and
editor in Chief of The Ring magazine (the most respected boxing journal of the time). Nat
autographed a magazine for Joe stating: To Prof. Pilates, whom I recognize is the worlds
greatest teacher of physical education and corrective
exercise.
(6).
Nat later became a sworn witness on
Joes official petition for U.S. citizenship
(1)
and Joe
dedicated a special thanks to Nat in his first book,
Your Health.

By the early 1930s, Joes method of
Contrology was gaining popularity. His clientele
increased, and his ability to help people recover
from physical ailments was becoming well known.
His work was endorsed by Frederick Rand Rogers,
President of the North American Physical Fitness
Institute. Frederick wrote, For twenty years I have
studied professionally the leading systems of body
development proposed and used in schools, colleges,
private gymnasia, and other institutions, and have
no hesitation in saying that the Pilates system is not
merely 20 or 50 or 80 percent more efficient, but
must be several times as effective as any practicable
combination of other systems.
(11)



Photo of Joe and Claras studio, Life Magazine

Soon Joe and Clara were busy teaching movie stars (Sir Lawrence Oliver and
Katherine Hepburn), circus performers, gymnasts, musicians, professional athletes,
doctors, business people, and students. At the same time, American Ballet and Modern
Dance were emerging. Famous choreographers and dancers like George Balanchine, Ted
Shawn, Ruth St. Dennis, Hanya Holm, and Martha Graham all studied with Joe and Clara.
Dance schools would often send their injured dancers to Uncle Joe for rehabilitation.
During the summers Joe and Clara often spent time at Jacobs Pillow, a well-known dance
camp in the Berkshire Mountains, teaching professional dancers.

Joe actively promoted his method of Contrology. He began documenting his work
with photographs and film, and even displayed a series of before and after photographs of
his students. He published his first book, Your Health, in 1934, and his second book, Return
to Life, in 1945. He gave lectures and demonstrations for medical professionals, including
post graduate courses at the Academy of Chiropractic, Inc.
(6)
He taught at Armed Forces
bases, appeared several times on the Mike Douglas Show,
(9)
sold his equipment at Macys,
and formed a health group called Return to Life. He continued to invent and build
apparatus, and became a member of the Chartered Institute of American Inventors for
developing over 20 pieces of apparatus.
(6)







Joe using his headpiece apparatus to
teach young dancers at Jacobs Pillow












Joes Patents in the United States

Joe invented over 20 pieces of apparatus to help strengthen and correct the body.
His first patent on record was applied for in August of 1924. At the time, Joe was still living
in Hamburg, and he filed a patent for a Gymnastic Apparatus in Berlin. A year later, Joe
filed for the same patent with the United States Patent Office. This Gymnastic Apparatus
was issued a patent (#1,621,477) by the US Patent Office on March 15, 1927,
(5)
and was
officially named the Universal Reformer. Joe used that name to create his own label for
his apparatus. (Original apparatus is still being used today at True Pilates, NY and Art of
Control at Purchase College)



Label Joe used on his apparatus



Some of the other rare apparatus Joe invented and filed
for patents are:


1. The Sitting Chair (Feb. 1930) : an ergonomically
designed chair with a spring back and a slanted
seat to support the low back, legs, and knees.
Designed to correct poor posture. He kept this
chair in his studio and it can be seen in the Joseph
H. Pilates Archive Collection.
Joe on his Armchair, 1914

2. V-Bed (June 1930): a bed that is in a V shape for sleeping. Joe advertised this, for
perfect relaxation while resting and sleeping, showing anatomical balance in every
position.
(6)


3. Rejuvenating Bed: Joe advertised this as, The Pilates Automatic Posture Correcting
and Rejuvenating Bed.
(6)
Its a portable cot that has a tower attachment to the head
of the frame, so you can exercise in your own bed.

4. Wunda Chair (August 1931) a main piece of apparatus still used today. In Joes
advertisement of the Pilates Wunda Chair, he states, It will give you the surprise of
your life and make you Wunda when you witness an exhibition covering over 100
different exercises.
(6)


5. Tens-O-Meter (Feb. 1937) a precursor to the Magic Circle as seen below

6. Magic Square: also known as the Tens-o-Meter for the toes as seen below

7. Tower: a Gym in a Doorway, also known as the Guillotine

8. The Devana: one of Joes last inventions
which is a Mat, Spine Corrector, Barrel, Universal
Reformer, and Cadillac all in one unit.




Joe at 72 years old, showing some of his
apparatus: holding his headpiece apparatus,
Tens-o-Meter between his legs, Magic Square in
his hands, Sand Bag hanging from his arm, and
Magic Circle resting by his feet

Joes Legacy
All new ideas are revolutionary. When their underlying theory is proven through practical
application, it becomes only a matter of time for them to develop and flourish. Truth will
prevail. That is why I know my teachings will reach the masses and finally be adopted as
universal. - Joe Pilates, Your Health, 1934


Joe was a true visionary in his approach and
methodology to health and fitness. His defined science of
Contrology has been nothing short of revolutionary on the
impact on the world of fitness. Over 70 years of his life was
spent on studying various physical regimens and techniques
to help attain and maintain a uniformly developed body with a
sound mind. He devised a scientific method that combined the
best of Eastern and Western philosophies, one that engages
both the mind and body. It has proven to work for virtually
every body, regardless of their level of fitness.

Joe preached his physical techniques to thousands of
people. He followed his regimen well into his 80s and was a
living testimony to the validity of his own teachings. He died
from advanced emphysema on October 9, 1967 at Lenox Hill Hospital. His New York Times
obituary described him as a white-maned lion of a man with steel blue eyes (one was glass
from a boxing mishap), and mahogany skin, Mr. Pilates kept and as limber in his 80s as a
teenager.
(4)


It wasnt until the late 80s when the Pilates fitness craze began. Today there are over 10
teacher certification centers throughout the world and Pilates is offered in fitness classes,
physical therapy offices, dance schools, hospitals, professional sport training centers,
corporate retreats, luxury spas, and private studios. There is even a magazine devoted to
the Pilates industry. It is estimated that over ten million people worldwide regularly
practice Pilates and the numbers are still growing. Joe should be proud. He claimed, My
work is 50 years ahead of its time, and he was right.



Resources and References:
1. National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, DC; Petitions for
Naturalization from the US District Court for the Southern District of NY, 1897-
1944; Series: M1972, Naturalization Record 243109.
2. Thompson, Bruce. Joseph Pilates Life &
Biography.
<http://www.easyvigour.net.nz/pilates/h_biograp
hy.htm>
3. The National Archives, Washington, DC;
Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, NY
18971957; Records of the US Customs Service,
Record Group 36. (National Archives Microfilm
Publication T715, 8892 rolls)
4. Joseph Pilates, Body Builder, 86; New York Times 10 Oct. 1967, p.47
5. US Patent and Trademark Office, Joseph H. Pilates patents
<http://www.uspto.gov/patents/publications/index.jsp>
6. Gallagher, Sean and Kryzanowska, Romana. The Joseph H. Pilates Archive
Collection. Bain Bridge Books, 2000.
7. Sargeaunt, B.E. The Isle of Man and The Great War. Brown & Sons, Ltd. 1920
Douglas; Isle of Man, Chapter 3, Prisoners of War Camps
8. Panikos, Panayi. The Enemy in our Midst: Germans in Britain During the First
World War. Oxford: Berg, 1991. p.70-98
9. Television section, The Seattle Times, 5 Feb. 1969
10. Panikos, Panayi. Prisoners of Britain: German Civilization, Military and Naval
Internees during the First World War. Yearbook of the Center for German and
Austrian Exile Studies, 7, 2005. p.29-43
11. Pilates, Joseph and Miller, William. A Pilates Primer: The Millennium Edition.
Presentation Dynamics, 1998
12. Pilates, Joseph. Your Health. Presentation Dynamics, 1998

For a more comprehensive investigation and biography of the life of Joseph Pilates, see
Joseph Hubertus Pilates: The Biography, By Esparanza Aparicio Romero and Javier Perez
Pont. (To be released 2013)






Joe at 57