Aug 8, 1999 / FW/ --- The concept of capturing the human sense of movement in proper perspective and proportion, with the power to manipulate such a tangible form or figure at one's own will, gradually gave rise to the invention of an articulated mannequin in the mid 1800s. (Prior to that time, there are sparse records of mannequins used in retail applications.)

During the 1800s, clothes were displayed on headless busts or dress forms.

One of the earliest manufacturers of busts in Paris, La Vigne hired a mask maker to create papier-mache heads which were placed on display forms at the discretion of window trimmers.

However, the addition of such heads to the busts or forms only added a dimension of awkwardness, as they did not attach to the body in an anatomically correct manner.

The resultant presentations were quite rigid in comparison to mannequin statements today. But reflecting on the fashion of the times, such an approach was an appropriate one.

Clothing was tight and restrictive. Men's wear was mostly formal, and women wore corsets of whalebone. The body was held within very strict bounds.

By mid 1800s, the Industrial Revolution began to affect every facet of life.

Mass production, train transportation, communcation systems (telegraph and telephone), cameras, electric lights, indoor plumbing, ice boxes and many other significant technological strides pushed society to a faster pace. In addition, it allowed for more leisure time.

Men occasionally found relief from their formal attire with knickerbockers, tweed jackets and straw hats. Even women were actually wearing looser garments, including knickerbockers for bicycling.

Casual wear for both sexes slowly was finding a foothold. And in response to such acceptance, mannequins mirrored the relaxed (relatively speaking) fashion climate.

Mannequin manufacturers such as Siegel and Stockman of Paris (the company is still in existence today) began to experiment with articulated legs, arms and wooden hands with bendable digits.

The company began to produce sitting figures, bicyclists and representations of celebrated athletes.

These early figures were valiant attempts to deal with action poses and gestures, but they still remained extremely restrained, much like oversized dolls.