The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-01-25
DUMMIES EoR DRESSES.
Figures OF Zinc and How They Are Usst
For FttstaE.

Figures OF Zinc and How They Are usst
For FttstaE.
Half dezen ladies were seen stand
ing outside of doorway on a down.
town business block Two or three OF
them were rather slenderiy built. willis
the others were inclined TO stoutneSS
Although they remained there together
for several hours, none OF them said
anything This was probably because
they had no heads In fact, they were
made OF zine as far down as just below
the hips, while beneath there was moth
ing at all except an iron stick for each
one, with base to stand npon Twas
evident that they were dressmalers'
dummies.
Unlike most such dummies. however,
these represented the figures of real
people. A Star reporter found by III
quiry that the manner of making them
is rather curious For example, Mrs.
Jones. for reasons presently 70 be ex>
planned, wants 10 nave one constructed
after the model of her cwu shape. She
goes and has herself measured as Il for
dress and q costume Is cut out accord-
ing to the measurements But the ma
terial. instead OF being silk or other cloth,
is sheet zinc. When the pieces have
been cut out they are Soldered together.
instead Of being sewn, aud thus Is Oh
tanned q reproduction of the figure Of
Mrs. Jones
Necessarily, the measuring, cutting
and fitting have to be done very care
f,,1I y, Z
have precisely the form of Mrs Jones'
She has it sent home and It serves in
future for dressmaking purposes as a
substitute for herself That is TO say
she has all her dresses lifted upon IL
instead of having to bother with that
part of the business herself Auy
woman will testify what an irritat-
ing bore il is to have dress fitted, 70
curing a. il does hours of posing before
the mirror and all sorts of alterations
and read justments, all OF which is
trial 10 both patience and temper.
But with dummy % TT the dress up
on most of this trouble is avoided II n
dressmalSer is employed she can co all
the fitting on the model, and II to gown
fits the latter il will equally satisfy the
requirements of Mrs Jones OF course,
this assumes that Mrs Jones does not
get particularly fatter or thinner,
in which case she would Dc Obliged
10 have herself measured FOR another
dummy. However. the greatest advsn-
tage of this device is that Mrs Joues IS
able to send her dummy 70 the dress
makers house. and she need not ga
there or disturb herself again about tho
matter, having provided the materials,
until the gown is sent home all ready
to be put on.
Most women are obliged 70 make
their own dresses. and for their pur-
poses such dummy is invaluab Die, mas
much as they arc thus enabled 20 ut
their own waists and drape their own
skirts as we'll and rs easily as IL they
were making a costume for somebody
else The zinc dummies cost from eight
TO twenty dollars. The price Of them
goes up rapidly with the avoirdupois Of
the purchaser. 50 that dummy with a
forty-eight-inch bust costs least twics
as much rs one with n thirty-siN-iuch
bust measure. IL Is probabl that be-
fore long similar dummies will be made
for men, who can thus have clothes
made for them by their tailors without
being obliged to DO measured wash
ington Star.