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Two original wooden dumb-bells, circa 1890.
About the object
About the object
These original dumb-bells are made of timber. Students held one in each hand whilst doing drill exercises.
Each dumb-bell is made on a wood-turning lathe. It is called a dumb-bell as the spherical end is the shape of a donger in a bell but it doesn't make a sound so is 'dumb' – silent.
Drill was introduced into public schools in the late 1880s to instil order and discipline. Schools had to meet the Drill Standard of Proficiency.
Holding a dumb-bell in each hand, students did stretching and reaching exercises. These were prescribed in the NSW Department of Public Instruction manual 'Light Dumb-bell Exercises', 1900.
Displays of dumb-bell and other drill exercises featured at sports days, community picnics and combined schools events.
Significance
Significance
Dumb-bells provide physical evidence of:
dumb-bell drill shown in photographs
dumb-bell drill described in drill instruction manuals.
Object details
Object details
Date –c.1890s-1900s
Creator – unknown
Place – Australia
Materials – wood
Dimensions – 17cm long
Look closer
Look closer
Students holding dumb-bells doing drill exercises, circa 1910. Detail from Slide 188, Eighty to Eighties resource kit, NSW Department of Education, 1980. View the full image.
Reproduction dumb-bells in the top drawer of an original 1890 dumb-bell cabinet.
Think and wonder
Think and wonder
See
See
What do you notice first about the dumb-bells?
What is their texture?
Think
Think
What would the dumb-bells feel like to hold?
Would the dumb-bells be heavy or light? Why do you think that?
What piece of modern gymnastics equipment does it remind you of?
Wonder
Wonder
What do you wonder about the dumbells?
What else would you like to know about using dumb-bells and doing drill at school?
Do
Do
Try a stretching exercise as shown in the photograph.
Try it with first with bare hands.
Then try it when holding an object in each hand.
Does holding an object change your movement or precision?
Explore and connect
Explore and connect
Dumb-bell cabinet, circa 1890. Made of pine timber, the cabinet has four removable drawers with hand holes on each side.
Dumb-bell cabinet, circa 1890
Dumb-bell cabinet, circa 1890
Comprising four removable drawers, this original dumb-bell cabinet is in use in our 1877 school room. Each of the four drawers holds one dozen pairs of dumb-bells.
Each drawer can be removed and carried to the exercise space by the 'hand holes' on the sides. Each drawer functions as a tray of dumb-bells.
The specifications for the cabinet are illustrated on page 14 of the NSW Department of Public Instruction Specification for Public School Furniture circa 1893.
View the diagram of the dumb-bell cabinet on our EHive collection record no. 2000-997.
How does the cabinet's design meet its purpose?
Two wooden Indian clubs used for drill-style exercises in schools, circa 1890
Indian clubs, circa 1890
Indian clubs, circa 1890
These two timber Indian clubs were used in schools by students doing drill exercises.
They have slightly different shapes so are not a pair. The top one appears to have its rounded end sawn off.
About 40cm in length, Indian clubs were made on a wood-turning lathe in a similar way to timber dumb-bells.
It is thought that students held equipment during their drill exercises to encourage precision of movement. Together with Indian clubs and dumb-bells, students also used 4 foot rods called wands, long bar-bells, wooden dummy rifles and small flags.
View an image of boys at Cleveland Street Public School doing Indian Club Drill, circa 1910 (NSW State Archives and Records).
Pages iv and v of Wand or Bar-bell Exercises: in Accordance with Drill Standard Requirements and Arranged also for Displays to Musical Time.Collection number 2000-371
Wand or Bar-bell Exercises manual, 1900
Wand or Bar-bell Exercises manual, 1900
This pocket-sized booklet was published by the NSW Department of Public Instruction in 1900. The full title is 'Wand or Bar-bell Exercises: in Accordance with Drill Standard Requirements and Arranged also for Displays to Musical Time'.
This booklet follows the manual 'Light Dumb-bell Exercises', also published in 1900.
The pages shown here outline the 'Ready - By numbers' commands and movements to prepare for exercises.
They also explain the steps in the first exercise – straight arm exercises and hand and wrist movements.
The movements are listed to a count of four. The exercises were to be done to waltz time.
View the page and manual on EHive - collection number 2000-371.
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands of people using this site. Is, always was, always will be – Aboriginal land.
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