Hand-held exercise roller “The Vampire”
Category
Household and miscellaneous
Date
circa 1925
Materials
Wood and rubber
Measurements
22 ins (w)
Order this imageCollection
Shaw's Corner, Hertfordshire
NT 1274774
Summary
An exercise roller, hand-held, made of wood with rubber cover. Circa 1925. Designed to tone up the body and stimulate the circulation. The roller was first manufactured in the 1920s by a company called “Wilma” in Lausanne, Switzerland. Moulded inscription on the rubber cover: “Le Vampire brevete dans 30 pays” (patented in 30 countries). Handle ends stamped “La Wilma Lausanne”; ends of roller section stamped “Le Vampire Brevet”. The roller was advertised at the time: “Le Vampire is for self-massage, and is a small double-handled roller, furnished with rubber knobs. “Le Vampire” not only annihilates fat of all kinds, but tones up the nerves and muscles while expelling the harmful secretions of the body.” (Sydney Morning Herald, 1927).
Provenance
The Shaw Collection. The house and contents were bequeathed to the National Trust by George Bernard Shaw in 1950, together with Shaw's photographic archive.
Marks and inscriptions
Handle ends stamped "LA WILMA LAUSANNE". Ends of roller section stamped "LE VAMPIRE BREVET + 38077". Moulded inscription on rubber cover "LE VAMPIRE BREVETE DANS 30 PAYS - LA WILMA, LAUSANNE."