Indian Clubs

Indian clubs, once popular exercise equipment used by people of all ages throughout the United States, are now appreciated as a form of American folk art. Tracing their history, this book discusses their progress from training equipment for the British Army in colonial India to fashionable status first in Victorian England and then in America, where choreographed club swinging became both an exercise mania and a competitive sport. Colour photographs illustrate the wealth of decorative detail - inlaid wood patterns, tin and brass appliques, and painted designs - offered by manufacturers, as well as some of the whimsical decorations owners used to personalize their clubs. Archive material documents the sport of club swinging. Intended especially for the collector of folk art, the book includes a directory of dealers, auctions, flea markets and antique shops across the USA. It also discusses major considerations for the collector, such as artistic features of the clubs, and their shape, size, weight, surface finish and manufacturer.