Flying Rings Swinging Exercise, from the Gymnastic Exercises series (N77) for Duke brand cigarettes 1887

This small chromolithograph, printed around 1900 by W. Duke, Sons & Co., depicts a woman performing an exercise on flying rings. The rings, here tools for physical training, echo a far more ancient symbol: the circle. Consider the ring as a potent, universal symbol of continuity, eternity, and the cyclical nature of life. In antiquity, we see the serpent Ouroboros, consuming its own tail in an eternal loop. This symbol appears across cultures, from ancient Egypt to Norse mythology, representing the perpetual return and regeneration. Even in alchemy, the circle represents the perfected substance, the philosopher's stone. Here, the gymnast, through her circular movements, unconsciously evokes this ancient striving for perfection and balance. It is not merely physical prowess she displays, but a deep, perhaps unintentional, engagement with humanity's enduring quest for wholeness. The body in motion becomes a symbol of perpetual change and continuity.