Kansas City daily journal., 1895-04-14
THE lNARTlSTIC MODELS,
Women who rose for ~ q week and E..
pccted to Bc Amiabic-A Jacket
Every Half Minute,


Every Half Minute.
without offense, either TO their tenn
permanent or to their calling, II may
be said truthfully that there is In cities
a large class OF girls and women who
make their living as inartstlc models.
says n writer In the New York Sun.
They are the lay figures. tho "tryers on
OF the great clothing houses and fash
ionable dressmaking establishments.
There are hundreds OF them in this
city, rossessors OF good figures and
much patience, and while their occu-
patton seems a good deal like that of
playing a automatom, 1t Is by no means
the easiest and simplest way of earn
ing n livelihood.
In the first pincc, one has to be the
possessor OF what might be called adapt
able inches. The drcssmakcr's customers
range from the bony and svlph-like to
the plump and ponderous. and the dress-
maker knows that each variety Is all
ways more or less touchy about the Pc
culiarties OF their structure. She knows
also that one OF the most frequent OF the
calls upon her tact Is the necessity OF
devislng means to keep the stout Gus
toner from choosing II style OF garment
and material that would make her look
mountain. and to dissuade the thin
cstomer from selecting a costume that
would make hcr look like n rail. one Of
her chief aids In this difficulty is the
lady figure" She therefore selects for
that employment young woman about
the POS, who has a good. medium all
around figure, one who would wear n
forty-four inch skirt whose natural
waist would be about twcnty-six inches.
and whose bust measure would be about
thlrty-seven inches. Given a young wom-
an with those inches and a healthy. pill
able frame. and the acute dressmaker,
with a little aid from the lay figure.
on expansion and contraction lines. Will
make both her stout and her thin GUS
toner think that each of them looks
like this young creature Of the happy
mean.
To this adaptablllty OF figure. which,
In most cases, does not last beyond
well, say 30 years of age. must be add
ed a pleasant, cheerful face, and, what
Is much rarer, unfailing imperturability.
Customers and especially rich ones. are
very apt TO be impatient and say things.
alterations are suggested that take n
long time In carrying out: the dress
maker seems to forget that the lay fig
ure Is made OF flesh and blood; and al
together trying on is quite a trial OF
the nerves. Then. too. this posing some
times goes on all day. and when 1t Is
remembered that the model has always
to be careful of her clothing 80 rs to
look well on all occasions. II will be seen
that there Is good reason for the con-
slant appearance of advertisements from
the same establishments for dressInak-
ers' models.
The demand for these useful members
Of the modiste's world !s especially act
i've about this time. when the contracts
for building new spring dresses are In
full swing, and a glance at the news
paper advertisements will show that
there is at least one branch of the la
Dor market in which the demand seems
greater than the supply This may seem
all tho more remarkable when 1t is
learned that the pay is rarely below IS
week, while SIS week is often paid.
1t Is a fact full of meaning, nevertheless,
that the advertisement which calls for a
young woman with a good figure to
serve as a model in n dressmaker's par
lor brings but few applicants. while one
which calls for young women with good
figures. which they are required to dis
play in the ballet. will crowd the side
walk for a block outside the stage man
ayers office.
The duties Of tho models in these
wholesale houses begin with their being
on time, and end with their being cheer
full, smart and expeditions; above all
things, expeditions. A buyer comes, and
it is sign of the times that the buyer
is often a woman now, the model is on
hand in an instant, and at the slightest
sign of interest on the part OF buyer
in any pile of goods. a Jacket is slipped
on, buttoned, deftly patted into place,
shown off fore and aft by quick whirI
on the heels, Is shed, and another is
jumped into in it's place. Then the buyer
and the salesman pass on to another
pile OF goods, there is another momen-
tary stoppage, the lightning change Is
gone through with again, and so it goes
on. So expeditions do these young and
supple models become that they Will try
on two dozen different jackets in half IS
many minutes and yet make each gar
ment look its best and as though 1t had
been especially made for them.
Between the buyers visits the model
may employ her leisure as she pleases.
In reading or fancy work, although
It is not considered to be in her dis
favor If she look after the buttons and
of the samples. A commercial
drawback to this calling of the nom
artistic models is that it does not lead
10 anything else, except contingently.
This is one reason, perhaps, why 1t is
not an overcrowded calling. Then too,
t is exacting: by its very nature, tram
;ient; and it offers no advancement.
rhe recruits of its ranks are mostly
girls OF Irish-American and German-
american parentage, and at the next
beauty show in New York its managers
Will not do amlss to look for exhibits
among the "triers-on" and young lady
igures."