A Pilates History Research Archive™ Exclusive!
Over the course of his lifetime, Joe Pilates claimed that he was the trainer for the Hamburg Police between 1923-1926 while he lived in Hamburg, Germany. While we do have a couple short testimonials from others corroborating his story, we had no other solid evidence of this- until now.
Through my extensive research, I have found this letter written to the local Hamburg newspaper, written by Joseph Pilates in 1924. In the letter, he mentions that soon the police force will not have to use weapons because he is teaching them Jui Jitzu. The letter was signed, Joe Pilates, Sports Instructor and Trainer of the Hamburg Police.
This letter is monumental in pilates history research because it shows that one of Joe’s “stories” about his life was actually true. It begs the question, what other statements that Joe made were true and we just haven’t found proof of them yet?
Image first shared on 10/19/25.
Translation: On the Use of Weapons by Police Officers.
We have received the following letter:
In the evening edition of the Hamburger Fremdenblatt of June 27, a notice from the police information office with the headline informed, “Shots fired at a fugitive, two people injured.”
This report about the pursuit of a thief on the same day, in a busy street, involving the use of a firearm, gives one pause for thought. I therefore cannot refrain from pointing out certain deficiencies that exist within the German police, particularly among those employed in the security service, which certainly do not help to enhance their reputation. The police are meant to guarantee the safety of citizens; they should represent an authority before the public and serve as a protective force that enjoys the highest confidence of the people. Unfortunately, this is only very limited in this case.
In England, the land of sports, one can indeed speak of a well-rounded and capable police authority. There, the police are what they ought to be; but here in Germany, we are not yet there. Certainly, there is everywhere a striving to elevate the German police in their functions to an exemplary standard. The Hamburg police, for example, are well on their way to following in the footsteps of their English colleagues. Their officers, above all, are receiving good athletic training so that, in times of danger, they may maintain peace and order even without firearms or bloodshed, and not, through rash action, endanger the lives of citizens.
If the officer who pursued the thief had received athletic training, he would have been able to overtake him in a quick chase. It would also have taken only a signal to the bystanders, who would have detained the thief themselves, if the police in our country possessed the universally recognized authority that, given their responsible duties, they absolutely must have.
In the future, such incidents in which innocent bystanders are shot by police officers during the pursuit of criminals will likely no longer occur. The physical training of the officers through sports, along with their recently introduced specialized instruction based on a new method of gymnastics and self-defense (German jiu-jitsu), enables every police officer to carry out his duties within fractions of a second—not only with determination but also with lightning-fast movements to completely incapacitate the offender.
Through rigorous athletic training, the officers are taught self-control. Their well-rounded physical conditioning gives them agility and composure; through calm and deliberate conduct they will earn the respect of the entire population, which is easily diminished by the unnecessary use of firearms.
Josef Pilates
Sports Instructor and Trainer of the Hamburg Police.
(Translated by Karin Hoffmeister)
German Pilates Universal Reformer ads, 1924 and 1926
I’m thrilled to share what is now currently the earliest ad for the Universal Reformer. I couldn’t believe it when I found it, not just because its from 1924 but because what Joe was actually advertising for was a traveling salesman to sell reformers for him to people like doctors and sportsmen.
This ad was placed in Hamburg, Germany, where Joe resided at the time. We know that he was teaching his method on the reformer, as well as boxing, and was also the trainer for the Hamburg Police. Images first shared 10/19/2025.
Also See: Contrology Advertisements
Through multiple primary sources, we know that Joe Pilates initially developed his Universal Reformer in Germany, where his first gym was located.
We’ve often wondered what became of his apparatus after he moved to the United States in 1926. Now, due to this incredible research find, The Pilates Source® has developed a theory that his wife, Elfriede Pilates who remained in Germany, kept his apparatus and continued to use it with her patients.
These late 1920s ads from Germany are rich with information, and offer us an incredible glimpse at Elfriede Pilates. If it as it appears, and that she used his Universal Reformer with her patients, arguably the first pilates pre-Elder after Joe.
Fascinatingly, it appears that Elfriede was a medical practitioner who studied under the famed Dr. Thure Brandt, who developed a particular pelvic massage in the late 1800s that restored the uterus to its proper place as a cure for common complaints of women, such as headaches, backaches, fatigue, and depression.
Perhaps Elfriede and Joe had more in common with each other than it has been widely speculated. We hope to continue to learn more about Elfriede and her role in the very early days of Contrology.
In the meantime, we can enjoy the translation of her ads, which sound very similar to the terminology that Joe also used to describe the benefits of the Universal Reformer!!
Note: so the translator app could accurately translate the ad, I had to type a few of the letters into the ad that were too blurry for the translator to pick up on.
Images first shared on 9/25/24.
Rare Sighting: Joe Pilates Teaching In Hamburg: 1926
It is very difficult to find any written documentation of Joe Pilates teaching anything in Hamburg, although we know he lived there from 1923-1926 and taught boxing and the early forms of Contrology. We even know that he had at least one reformer there and was also trying to sell them. But at the same time, there is very little documentation of anything specific that Joe was teaching or doing in Hamburg.
When I found this mention of Joe teaching boxing at the Rowing Club in 1926, I was thrilled because it not only says he was a “well-known boxing instructor” but it also says he was teaching at the Rowing Club, which is super interesting.
Images first shared on 9/7/25.
1883 Joseph Pilates Birth Announcement in Germany
Throughout his lifetime, Joe Pilates routinely made himself about 3 years older than he actually was, when talking with reporters, students, and acquaintances. However, the fact is that he was born in 1883 and died at age 83. And, as his birth announcement states, his father was a locksmith at the time.
Images first shared on 12/2/24.
1890 Birth Announcement for Joe Pilates’ younger brother, Fred Pilates, who also taught Contrology and had a studio in St. Louis. Images first shared on 12/2/24.
Related Topic: Fred Pilates
A newspaper announcement when Joe Pilates’ father, Frederick “Fritz” Pilates, passed away.
Images first shared on 12/2/24.
A newspaper announcement placed by Fritz Pilates’ gymnastics students for his birthday one year. Images first shared on 12/2/24.
An example of Fritz Pilates’ involvement in “Turn and Sport” in Germany, which was likely a strong influence on Joe and Fred throughout their lives. Images first shared on 12/2/24.
Joseph Pilates Earliest Known German Advertisements
Special Research Find… From The Pilates History Research Archive™!
It is super thrilling to present the earliest known advertisements placed by Joseph Pilates… dating back to 1919 and 1920 in Germany! Incredibly, these ads provide an unusually amazing amount of insight into the early stages of Joe Pilates’ effort to promote his method, gymnasium, and teaching.
Through these primary sources, we have learned:
- That Joe opened a gym in 1919 that specialized in corrective exercise, therapeutic gymnastics, massage, boxing, and BREATHING exercises!
- He also advertised the teaching of wrestling, self defense (with and without weapons!), fencing, and WEIGHTLIFTING!
- That he marketed his method to MEN, WOMEN, and CHILDREN! And not just to men or boxers, as was generally thought before now.
- That Joe himself claimed to have rehabilitated his German comrades who were wounded in English captivity while he was held there.
Since these ads are in German, I used a translator to try to get the best English translation I could. There are obvious flaws but it helps to understand what he was trying to get across. Images first shared on 9/25/24.
See also: Contrology Advertisements
Early 1920s Archival Pilates German Advertisements
I’m really excited about these ads, which provide a fascinating glimpse into the early days of Joe’s business, and cast new light on Elfriede.
In the early 1920s, Joseph and Elfriede Pilates placed frequent advertisements for their services, which included therapies for gout, rheumatism, movement disorders, sciatica, and women’s issues between the two of them
While they didn’t get into details, the therapies they provided were those such as therapeutic gymnastics, massage, orthopedics, natural light method, eye diagnosis, and more.
Interestingly, they advertised separately for their different services, suggesting they were each running their own unique businesses out of the same address. They both placed these ads monthly, and Ms. Pilates advertised more than Joe did.
My favorite one is the time when their regular ads appeared next to each other in the same issue.
I hope to learn more about what equipment they might have been using. As we know from previous ads I’ve shared here, Elfriede did advertise the Universal Reformer in later ads, suggesting that she knew how to use it and that she kept Joe’s original reformers when he moved to the US.
Images first shared 10/23/24
See also: Contrology Ads
For Sporting Honor!
In this humorous newspaper post by Joseph Pilates in the early 1920s, he challenges another boxer to fight. The funniest part is when Joe claims that if he doesn’t hear back, it means that the boxer recognizes that Joe is a better boxer than he is.
Images first shared 11/6/2024.
Grosskampf! 1920’s Ad from Germany
In the early 1920’s, Joe Pilates achieved great success as a boxer and boxing teacher. He was mentioned in numerous articles over the years in regards to his boxing matches, wins, and losses. This article in particular stands out because it mentions that Joe Pilates was the oldest active boxer in German at the time.
Joe’s Local Event Appearance Ads
This grouping of different ads in the early 1920s reveal a time period when Joe Pilates was making appearances at local events and demonstrating some of the physical culture activities he was interested in, and that he even archived later in life as well.
Physical Culture activities such as stick and sword fencing and boxing. My favorite is the part where it mentions the demonstration of a Greco-Roman Sword fight by “the Pilates Brothers.” This was most likely Joe and Fred, and is especially noteworthy because they filmed themselves doing this later in life, and the original shields they used still exist in Sean Gallagher’s Pilates Museum/Studio.
Foot Corrector Ad, 1923
Joe published this fascinating ad soon after patenting his Foot Corrector in 1923. The Foot Corrector was his very first patent and was patented in Germany before he moved to the US. While this ad does not mention the Foot Corrector specifically, the timing suggests that the patent he writes about was the Foot Corrector. However, it could also have been the Univeral-Reformer, which he also patented in Germany a bit later than this ad.
Images first shared on 11/6/24.
