Rewind - The world's first fitness influencer was a Victorian strongman | 1843 magazine
When Eugen Sandow ( pictured) opened his first School of Physical Culture in London in the summer of 1897, he ensured that its decor matched his personal brand. On arrival at 32A St James’s Street, visitors found themselves facing a life-sized statue of the founder himself. A nearby oil painting depicted Sandow as an ancient gladiator. In both cases his sculpted physique evoked the spirit of Greek classicism that Sandow, regarded in his heyday as the “perfect man”, strove to embody. The opening of the school heralded the birth of the Sandow fitness empire. It was the culmination of a de...
Source: economist.com