United States House of Representatives: History, Art, & Archives
Search the website

Scenes in the House of Representatives “Gym”

Black and white photograph of Fred Sampson Purnell, in undershirt and shorts, punching a punching bag suspended from the ceiling. A second punching bag is partially visible./tiles/collection/1/11572.xml
Download this image
Reverse of photograph with maker’s information and caption reading, “April 19, 1920. Scenes in House of Representative 'gym.' Representative Purnell of Maine seizes a few minutes for a quiet session with the punching bag.” Handwritten text reads, “Died Oct 39. Not Sport.”/tiles/collection/1/16424.xml
Download this image
Black and white photograph of Fred Sampson Purnell, in undershirt and shorts, punching a punching bag suspended from the ceiling. A second punching bag is partially visible.
Reverse of photograph with maker’s information and caption reading, “April 19, 1920. Scenes in House of Representative 'gym.' Representative Purnell of Maine seizes a few minutes for a quiet session with the punching bag.” Handwritten text reads, “Died Oct 39. Not Sport.”
Previous Next

Date

1920-04-19

Maker

National Photo Company

Dimensions

8 × 10 in. (20.3 × 25.4 cm)

Accession Number

PA2014.02.0002a

Credit Line

Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives

Object Details

Representative Fred Purnell blew off some steam with the punching bag at the new House gym in 1920. The gym also had rowing machines, horizontal bars, dumbbells, medicine balls, weight pulleys, a steam room, and an indoor golf course, for male Representatives to keep fit. One hundred and forty Congressmen chipped in $10 each to buy equipment. Female Members finally joined the gym in 1963, when a fitness room for women was designed in the new Rayburn House Office Building.

Rights and Reproduction Information

Jump To

View Related Objects

House of Representatives “Gym”
House of Representatives “Gym”

View Related People

PURNELL, Fred Sampson
PURNELL, Fred Sampson

View Related Content

From the Blog: Members Work It Out
From the Blog: Members Work It Out
Office of the Historian: history@mail.house.gov
Office of Art & Archives, Office of the Clerk: art@mail.house.gov, archives@mail.house.gov