In the days of the 1930s, when 'fitness' and 'cigarettes' were yet opposed to one another, the fitness-concerned man or woman had to look no further than their nearest pack to find a handy-dandy workout routine. This particular set of 50 cigarette cards were each printed with an exercise, illustrated on the front and described on the back. There were 25 each for men and women--because, of course, men and women couldn't possibly benefit from the same exercises. I'm not a fitness-concerned woman (nor a smoker) so I can't vouch for the effectiveness of any of these exercises (though some raise my eyebrows), but, when combined with early twentieth century gym clothes, they sure make for some interesting visuals!
The backs of the cards, with the exercise descriptions, are accessible via the source links. The full set is here.
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| New York Public Library |
For Slimming the Waist. Source
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| New York Public Library |
A simple stretching exercise (or show-off of one's extremely short shorts). Source
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| New York Public Library |
For the Leg Muscles. Source
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| New York Public Library |
For the Muscles Front of the Thighs. Source
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| New York Public Library |
Trunk Exercise. Source
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| New York Public Library |
For the Serrated Muscles Under the Arms. Source
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| New York Public Library |
Wrist Exercise. Source
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| New York Public Library |
For Increasing the Bust. Effective! Source
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| New York Public Library |
For the Thigh Muscles. Source
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| New York Public Library |
Leg Exercise. Source
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| New York Public Library |
The woman gets to do this one too... only on top of a little table, which seems like a bad idea [especially when the description literally says to do it on the floor]. Source
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| New York Public Library |
To Give Your Back a Beautiful Curve. Source
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| New York Public Library |
This time the man gets the smaller surface--though of course this one is "For the muscles of the lower back." Source
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| New York Public Library |
Another use for that little endtable. Trunk Exercise. Source
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| New York Public Library |
Exercise For the Back. Source
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| New York Public Library |
For the Abdomen. Wouldn't this be better on a table? Source
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| New York Public Library |
For Generally Loosening the Body. Source
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