Treadmill Collection (#3)

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BURGKMAIR: MAXIMILIAN. Detail from The Triumphal Procession of the Emperor Maximilian. Woodcut by Hans Burgkmair, early 16th century

Three boys playing inside a large barrel. One of them has lost his footing and has fallen over

Rotating Barrel
Three boys trying to maintain their footing on a rotating barrel or wheel!

Holloway Prison / Mayhew
The treadmill (treadwheel) and oakum shed with a detachment of prisoners at work at the wheel, and those who have been relieved, are employed to pick oakum

Three women working irrigation mill, near Canton, China, Asia

Treadmill / Coldbath Field
Prisoners working at the treadmill and others exercising in the vagrants prison, Coldbath Fields. The first treadmill was installed in Brixton Prison in 1817

Knife Grinders Dog
A dog helps a French knife- grinder by turning his wheel like a treadmill

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"Treadmill: A Journey through Time and Punishment" Step back in time to Brixton purgatory, 1822, where the first glimpse of a gym treadmill or running machine emerged. This primitive forerunner paved the way for an era of physical exertion within prison walls. English prison life took a dark turn in 1907 when hard labor became synonymous with punishment. The dreaded cat-o-nine-tails was wielded alongside the monotonous rhythm of the treadmill, creating an atmosphere of despair and suffering. Intriguingly, sheet music titled "Put me upon an Island Where the Girls are Few" transports us to a different realm altogether. Perhaps this island represents an escape from the grueling reality that awaited prisoners on their daily grind. Jamaica beckons with its vivid engraving depicting a tread-mill scene in 1837. Here, amidst tropical landscapes, individuals find themselves caught up in this relentless cycle of forced movement – forever bound by their circumstances. Newgate Prison's engraving reveals another facet of this punitive device as it becomes synonymous with prisoner discipline. The treadmill served as both captor and captivated; its cogs grinding away at hope while society looked on indifferently. A colored engraving aptly named "Sweat mill" captures the essence of human endurance under duress. It portrays bodies drenched in perspiration as they navigate this mechanical beast that consumes their energy without mercy. Brixton prison's watercolor painting showcases yet another variation on this theme – a reminder that even within confinement, creativity can flourish. Brushstrokes bring life to what would otherwise be seen as mere tormentors' tools. Traveling abroad through time and lithography brings us face-to-face with how criminals were treated elsewhere during those tumultuous years around 1880s Japan. An irrigation system powered by water wheel treadmills sheds light on alternative uses for this relentless contraption.