IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DISPLAYING GOODS IN SHOP WINDOWS AND OTHER PLACES, IN PART APPLICABLE FOR ARTISTS' USE
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Phillips Thompson Fel Inst P.A. of the Liverpool
and London Agency for Foreign Patent Solicitors 6 Lord Street Liverpool in
the county of Lancaster Civil Engineer for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR DISPLAYING GOODS IN SHOP WINDOWS AND OTHER PLACES,
IN PART APPLICABLE FOR ARTISTS' USE "
a communication to him from Victor
Rogiers of Brussels in the kingdom of Belgium
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Phillips Thompson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st April 1883.
WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON Fel Inst P.A. of the Liverpool and London
Agency for Foreign Patent Solicitors 6 Lord Street Liverpool in the county of
Lancaster Civil Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DISPLAYING
GOODS IN SHOP WINDOWS AND OTHER PLACES, IN PART APPLICABLE FOR ARTISTS"
"
USE a communication to me from Victor Rogiers of Brussels in the kingdom of
Belgium
In displaying articles of ready-made clothing in the windows of shops, and in
other places, it is generally found desirable to arrange them as nearly as possible in
the position they would assume when in wear, and lay figures of various sorts, with
bodies made of wire, papier-maché, stuffed canvas, solid wood, and other materials,
have been used, all of which are objectionable in one way or another, and it is to
provide a more serviceable figure, or stand, for the display of such goods, that these
improvements have been designed.
The body of the figure is made in several pieces, so fitted together as to leave
the greater part of the inside hollow, and preferably of wood or other light material,
In practice six pieces will be found most convenient, one forming each of the sides,
back, front, top, and bottom, and fixed together in the form of a box. These pieces
may be shaped before or after being placed together, so as to form the contour
of the body intended to be represented The human body of course is the one in
view, and to that only, reference will be made, though models or representations
of various animals might be made in similar way, if required for special purposes.
[ Price 621

page_text: The arms and legs of the figure may be made in the usual way, with swivelling
or ball and socket joints, and are attached in the case of the arms by a screw from
the shoulder joint, passing into a nut in the inside of the hollow body. The legs
are attached by a similar screw, screwed into the bottom of the body, and capable
of adjustment at the will of the user. When screwed up tight, the ball joint at
the thigh is brought to bear against the bottom of the body, and thus held rigidly
to enable the figure to assume an upright position. By unscrewing the said screw
a certain distance, the thigh joint is allowed play, and the figure may be placed in
a sitting posture astride a horse, or in other positions that may be required, such as
running et-cetera. The head, which is preferably made of wax is held in position
by a pin or slide passing through the top of the body into the hollow inside. It
may be screwed if required. The hands may be made of wax, wood, or other
material, and to enable them to hold an article, a slide may pass over the finger
and thumb, which will cause them to press together when moved towards their
extremities For holding umbrellas, sticks, and such like articles, a similar arrange-
ment may be used independently of the figure, if placed on a suitable stand for the
purpose
The dress improver first introduced into Great Britain and sold in March 1882
by Mess Me Ilvenna & Co can be attached to the figure by a band round the waist
in the usual manner, and adjusted by means of paper or otherwise shoved in
between the skirt or back of the bust and hind wires of the improver as heretofore,
but I prefer to attach the same to the body of the bust by horizontal cork slides or
telescopic arrangement, preferably attached to the bottom of the body, and allow
the upper wires to slide into and out of the hollow body of the bust. In this way
the lay figure can be expanded behind to any required extent.
Figures made in this way combine the advantage of the lightness of those made
of wire, papier-maché et cetera, with the durability of those made from wood,
together with the faculty of being easily altered from one position to another
While these improvements are designed principally for figures used for displaying
goods they may also be applied to lay figures for artist's use.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Phillips Thompson in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 20th October 1883.
WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON Fel. Inst. P.A. of the Liverpool and London
Agency for Foreign Patent Solicitors 6 Lord Street Liverpool in the County of
Lancaster Civil Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DISPLAYING
GOODS IN SHOP WINDOWS AND OTHER PLACES, IN PART APPLICABLE FOR ARTISTS
USE"
A communication to me from Victor Rogiera, of Brussels, in the Kingdom
of Belgium.
In displacing articles of ready-made clothing in the windows of shops, and in
other places, it is generally found desirable to arrange them as nearly as possible in
the position they would assume when in wear, and lay figures of various sorts, with
bodies made of wire, papier-maché, stuffed canvas, solid wood, and other materials,
have been used, all of which are objectionable in one way or another, and it is to
provide a more serviceable figure or stand, for the display of such goods that these
improvements have been designed.
The body of the lay figure is made in several pieces, so fitted together as to leave
the greater part of the inside hollow, and preferably of wood or other light material.
In practice six pieces will be found most convenient one forming each of the sides,
back, front, top, and bottom, and fixed together in the form of a box. This is shown
in Fig 1. These pieces may be shaped before or after being placed together, so as
to form the contour of the body intended to be represented.
The arms and legs of the figure may be made in the usual way, with swivelling,
or ball and socket joints, and are attached in the case of the arms by a screw A,
from the shoulder joint, passing into a nut B in the inside of the hollow body.
The legs are attached by a similar screw C, screwed into the bottom of the body,
and capable of adjustment at the will of the user. When screwed up tight, the ball
joint at the thigh is brought to bear against the bottom of the body, and thus held
rigidly to enable the figure to assume an upright position. By unscrewing the said
screw a certain distance, the thigh joint is allowed play and the figure may be
placed in a sitting posture, astride a horse, or in other positions. that may be
required such as running etcetera. The head, which is preferably made of wax is
held in position by a pin or slide passing through the top of the body into the
hollow inside. It may be screwed if required. The hands may be made of wax,
wood, or other material and to enable them to hold an article, a slide may pass over
the finger and thumb, or their continuations beyond the fulcrum, which will cause
them to press together when moved towards their extremities. A spring can be
used instead of the slide if desired.
I claim in this part of the invention the manufacture of lay figures in box form
with the sides of the box shaped to suit, also the method or arrangement of joining
the limbs to the body substantially as and for the purposes described.
For holding umbrellas, sticks, and such like articles, a similar arrangement to
the finger and thumb of the lay figure, may be used independently of the figure, if
placed on a suitable stand for the purpose. A good form of this contrivance is set
forth in Fig 2 and the manufacture of holders for umbrellas and sticks arranged in
this way, I also claim as new.
The dress improver, first introduced into Great Britain and sold in March 1882
by Messrs Mo Ilvenna and Co. of Manchester and F. M° Ilvenna & Co of London, can
be attached to the figure by a band round the waist in the usual manner, and
adjusted by means of paper, usually a crumpled newspaper shoved in between the

page_text: skirt or back of the bust and hind wires of the improver as heretofore, but I prefer
to attach the same to the body of the bust by horizontal cork slides G, or telescopic
arrangement preferably attached to the bottom of the body, and allow the upper
wires to slide into and out of the hollow body of the bust, or these can be cork
slides also. Fig 3 shows this apparatus in section, and Figs 4 and 5 its application
to two different kinds of bust stands. In this way the lay figure can be expanded
behind to any required extent horizontally, instead. of being merely hinged, or
either the bottom or the top can be pulled out a little more than the other, whereas
by the old arrangement where the improver was tied or in fact hinged to the
waist, it was only the bottom that could be easily regulated by the paper; other
modifications of McIlvenna & Co' dress improver brought out since, are all
defective in this one point, that the improver is hinged to the body and so cannot
be pulled out horizontally, but at the hinge, the very part that is desirable especially
to expand, it is not expanded appreciably and the improver must if expanded much,
stand out unduly at the further extremity.
J
Figures made in this improved way, combine the advantage of the lightness of
those made of wire, papier-maché, etcetera. with the durability of those made from
wood, together with the faculty of being easily altered from one position to
another.
While these improvements are designed principally for figures used for displaying
goods they may also be applied to lay figures for artist's use.
I claim as new, as regards this part of the invention, the manufacture of lay
figures with parts capable of being drawn out, so as to stand parallel or as desired,
at more or less oblique angle with their normal position, substantially as and for the
purposes described.
In witness whereof I the said William Phillips Thompson have hereunto set my
hand and seal this
day of October in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty three.
TYTU