Improvements in Fashion Plates.
Year: 1894

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Fashion Plates.
A communication from abroad by DAVID RANDOLPH MORSE, of 112, Fort Green
Place, Brooklyn, in the State of New York, United States of America,
Manufacturer.
I PHILIP MIDDLETON JUSTICE of 55 and 56 Chancery Lane in the County
of Middlesex Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Patent Agents do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention relates to fashion plates or representations for exhibiting the
style and appearance of garments, and has for its object to permit the representation
of the pattern, style, cut or configuration of any desired garment to include at will
a representation of the color or pattern or appearance of any cloth or other goods,
fabric or material, thereby affording a complete representation of the material into
which it is proposed to make up a garment and of pattern, style, cut or configuration
of the garment, and permitting a draper or tailor or dressmaker to exhibit to
customers a complete representation of the ultimate appearance of any garment
which customers desire to have made.
The improved fashion plate embodying this invention is similar in appearance
to an ordinary fashion plate in that it contains one or more representations of
the human figure clothed in the garments of the desired pattern or style, but
the portions of the fashion plate within the outlines of said garments are trans-
parent while the portions surrounding the outlines of said garments are opaque
or non-transparent; and when it is desired to exhibit the appearance of a finished
garment of any particular pattern or style and made up of any particular material,
it is only necessary to place the fashion plate having a representation of a garment
of the desired cut or pattern upon the desired material or to otherwise dispose said
fashion plate directly in front of said material, whereupon by reason of the trans-
parency of the part of said fashion plate within the outlines of the garment, the
material will be exhibited to the eye of the observer within these outlines, and thus
the complete appearance of the finished garment of desired pattern and material
will be approximately or exactly represented.
It is of course evident that fashion plate embodying this invention may be
transparent within the outlines of one, two or more garments, as for instance if the
fashion plate represents a male figure, the plate may be transparent within the
outlines of a coat only or within the outline of the trousers only, or within the out-
lines of both of these garments, and with the outlines of both coat and trousers
transparent the material may be placed in the rear of the fashion plate so as to
exhibit the appearance of a coat and trousers both of the same material; or two
different materials may be so arranged in the rear of the fashion plate as to exhibit
the appearance of a coat of one of said materials and of trousers of the other of
said materials. All varieties and combinations of different colors and different
materials that may be made up in a prevailing and fashionable pattern may thus be
exhibited in connection with a single fashion plate representing the outlines of a
garment of that pattern.
For the purpose of more nearly approaching the ultimate appearance of the
garment, the degree of transparency may be slightly varied in different parts of

page_text: the representation of the garment on the fashion plate so as to represent the
appearance of light and shade in the finished garment, or line shading or other
shading may be employed within the different parts of the outline of the repre-
sentation of the garment with like effect, and the details of buttons, flaps,
pockets, etc., may be printed or otherwise placed upon the transparent portions.
According to this invention the material employed for the fashion plate is such
as is denominated celluloid, and on a sheet of celluloid the representation or picture
may be readily printed, stamped, embossed, painted or otherwise suitably impressed
or placed, and a sheet of transparent celluloid may be employed and covered with
an opaque coating at the parts where transparency is not desired. It is of course
evident that the fashion plate may be composed of other material and embody part
of this invention, and if desired may be composed of non-transparent material in
the parts where transparency is not desired, with this non-transparent material
cut away and transparent material inserted at the parts where transparency is
desired.
The accompanying drawings illustrate a fashion plate embodying this invention.
Figure 1 is a front clevation or face view of such a fashion plate, and also shows
cloths of two different patterns placed in the rear of the fashion plate and visible
through the transparent parts thereof. Figure 2 is a transverse section of the same
on the line 2-2, looking upward.
The fashion plate is shown as comprising a rectangular sheet A, upon which is
printed or otherwise placed a picture or representation of a man clothed in suitable
garments. This picture is preferably colored in imitation of the natural colors in
all parts which are not designed to be used for exhibiting goods, but in the parts
designed for such use, and as shown within the outlines representing the coat and
trousers, the plate is transparent and substantially colorless, so that when goods are
placed behind the fashion plate they will be visible through these transparent
portions. The other portions of the fashion plate are non-transparent or opaque.
In the fashion plate shown the background of the picture is entirely opaque, and
the portions of the picture representing the hat, collar, necktie, shirt front, cuffs,
gloves, and shoes, and the face, and all parts except the coat and trousers are
opaque, and are made to approximate as closely as possible a natural appearance.
When this fashion plate is placed over a piece of goods, or as shown, over two
pieces of goods, B and C, the piece of goods B being beneath the transparent parts
of the plate representing the coat, and the piece C being beneath the transparent
parts representing the trousers, the goods will be visible through these transparent
portions and thus the opaque portions of the picture in co-operation with the goods
showing through the transparent portions of the picture will represent a man dressed
in garments made up in the desired pattern and of the desired materials. In some
cases instead of the goods of which a garment is to be made, a representation
thereof may be employed in like manner.
The transparent portions of the fashion plates are shown as containing lines of
detail, outline and shading, and these lines greatly heighten the resemblance to the
ultimate appearance of the garment. The representations of the buttons on the
coat are shown as transparent thereby exhibiting the appearance of buttons covered
with the cloth employed in the garment but these parts of the fashion plate may in
some cases be' opaque and of desired color. It is of course evident that 'various
modifications will be made in the representations or pictures and in the details
thereof and in the location and arrangement of the transparent portions, in employing
this invention for the purpose of exhibiting different garments and different
combinations of garments.
The material which I propose to employ for fashion plates embodying this
invention is celluloid or like material, and with a sheet of transparent celluloid
it is only necessary to cover by an opaque coating the parts where transparency
is not desired. A celluloid plate may be highly ornainented and colored and
finished and thus all parts of the fashion plate may be caused to imitate closely
a natural appearance.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is,
1. A fashion plate containing a representation of the human form and non-
transparent except at portions of said representation, at which portions said plate is
transparent so as to exhibit therethrough when in front of any desired goods or
representation thereof, one or more garments made up in such goods, substantially
as set forth.
2. A fashion plate containing a representation of the outlines of one or more
finished garments and transparent at such portions so as to exhibit the appearance
of any desired goods therethrough, substantially as set forth.
3. A fashion plate having a transparent portion or portions within outlines
representing one or more garments and containing in said transparent portions
representations of details, outlines or lights and shades, substantially as and for
the purpose set forth.
4. A fashion plate of celluloid or like material containing a representation of the
human form and non-transparent except at portions of said representation at which
portions said plate is transparent so as to exhibit therethrough, when in front of any
desired goods or representation thereof the appearance of one or more garments
made up in such goods, substantially as set forth.
5. A fashion plate of celluloid or like material containing a representation of the
outlines of one or more finished garments and transparent at such portions so as to
exhibit the appearance of any desired goods therethrough, substantially as set
forth.
6. A. fashion plate of celluloid or like material having a transparent portion or
portions within outlines representing one or more garments and containing in said
transparent portions representations of details, outlines or lights and shades,
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
7. A fashion plate of celluloid or like material containing a representation of the
human form clothed in one or more garments and having a transparent portion or
portions within outlines representing one or more garments and containing in said
transparent portions representations of details, outlines or lights and shades,
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated the 10th day of November 1894.
PHILIP M. JUSTICE.