DALLAS, April 24, 1999/ FW/ --- No one actually knows who created the first full figure mannequin.

The development of the mannequin from the dress form to the lifesize mannequin spans thousands of years, no one can find a written record.

The fashion dolls were originally circulated in France as means of dissiminating the latest fashion. Ranging from 12 inches to life size, they were "stylishly" clothe and exchanged freely by the royals and merchant class.

These fashion dolls are the Middle Ages equivalent of a catalog, pattern and sewing instructions rolled into one.

Because of the fashion dolls, the French is sometimes credited with the creation of the first full-figured mannequins.

Documented history suggests that fashion dolls were already around during the 1300s. They were continued to be used in spreading "latest fashion" until the 1700s.

But the full figured, life size mannequin did not come into existence until the start of the Industrial Revolution.

"Most experts agree that the succession of stages set in motion during the Industrial Revolution--the manufacture of large, steel-framed, plate-glass windows, the invention of the sewing machine, the electrification of cities--cleared the way for for the arrival of the full-figured, life size mannequin." (From: Mannequins: Fantasy Figures of High Fashion, Smithsonian Magazine)

This also marked the beginning of the art of window display.

In 1868, the plate glass was invented in the United States. During the 1880s, due to its widespread availability, window panes were installed in retail establishments. In 1879, the filament lamp was invented, and street lights were born.

The window panes were usually at the front of the store to provide more light in the establishment. Merchants started putting goods near the store windows to entice passers by to come in.

The time was ripe for the arrival of the mannequin!

Enter Gems Wax Models, established in 1885 and supplier of dressmaker forms to the royalties of England and Europe. They were exporting their wax models in Europe and the United States.

The wax mannequins cost $15 apiece, a tidy sum during that time. Even during that time, the mannequins were mostly females and already reflect the "ideal beauty" of the time - having "full bosoms."

They were manufactured in three basic poses - left foot forward, right foot forward, or both feet together.

Dressed up and displayed in the store windows, passers by stop and gaze at the frozen tableau. It was novel and enchanting! The wax mannequins were worth a small fortune, but the merchants invested in them because they brought in a lot of business.

Because how can a woman resist the temptation of a beautiful dress when you can already see how it drapes on a body?

By the turn of the century, the mannequins were already the center of the fledgling industry called "Display," which will eventually be called Visual Merchandising.

The first known book about Visual Merchandising was written by L. Frank Baum (creator of The Wizard of Oz), where he devoted a chapter in the importance of mannequins in attracting customers.