Improved Arms and other Improvements in Dress-stands, Forms, Busts, or Holders of Wearing Apparel.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Feb., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 17th Dec., 1892-Accepted, 18th Feb., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Arms and other Improvements in Dress-stands, Forms,
Busts, or Holders of Wearing Apparel.
I ALICE GEMS wife of Julius Frederick Gems of Field Common House
Walton-on-Thames in the County of Surrey do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This my invention has for its object the improved construction of arms, armlets,
or shoulders for attaching to busts; improved contrivances for lengthening busts;
contrivances for adjusting lower portions of skirt form at back for trains &c.
Improved contrivances for dividing sections of adjustable busts, also for making
busts or forms pliable.
For these purposes I make the arms with moveable joints as nearly as possible to
represent nature by setting or attaching them at the shoulders in a specially
shaped oblong socket and pivot the shoulder pieces of arms in the socket at top and
bottom so that the arms may have a natural backward and forward movement
horizontally; for lengthening the arms I preferably employ an iron rod attached
to one portion which fits into a hole bored in the corresponding part which has a
thumb screw to fix or hold the iron rod in the desired position.
When constructing or modelling busts to any particular shape or type of figure
I make the arms at shoulder in such a manner as to indicate the size & shape the
armhole should be for cutting out a bodice and fitting in the sleeves. When
making an inexpensive armlet or shoulder, to afford the same practical advantages
as above described I employ a piece of turned wood suitably shaped with a screw
attached and fix in the shoulder a screw nut which thus forms a guide for the arm-
hole & for fitting sleeves. For altering and adjusting the length of busts or forms
in any desired part I preferably divide the form into sections and employ suitable
mechanical contrivances for fixing and adjusting any desired length. For altering
and adjusting the bottom part of skirts or dress-stands at back for holding the
dress out in any desired position commonly known as the train of a dress I either
cut away a portion of the form and make it adjustable by hinging or sliding it
from the top or sides, or I introduce a specially shaped section for the same purpose
which may also be hinged or made to slide out.
For raising this train adjustment to any desired position I use a toothed ratchet
or double wire slide, or by means of a strut being attached to the divided or added
section, or a set of steps or other mechanical contrivances.
When making busts or forms in vertically divided sections in order to fix them in
any desired position or size 1 preferably fix a toothed ratchet to the inner sides of
each section & a slot for it to work in on the corresponding section. To make
busts or forms more pliable I make or model them of fibrous pulp or other material
& cover with a considerable thickness of horse hair or other pliable material or I
fix small springs to give the necessary pliability. The whole is again covered with
a pliable fabric this I preferably call the "Gem Pliable Process."
Dated this 18th day of February 1892.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Arms and other Improvements in Dress-stands, Forms,
Busts, or Holders of Wearing Apparel.
I ALICE GEMS, wife of Julius Frederick Gems of Field Common House
Walton-on-Thames in the County of Surrey 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 my invention has for its object the improved construction of arms or
shoulders for attaching to busts, forms, or holders of wearing apparel in such a
manner as to form a true guide for fitting in the sleeves of dress bodices. Improved.
construction for lengthening bust. Contrivances for adjusting lower portions of
skirt forms at back, for dress trains &c. Improved contrivances for dividing
sections of adjustable busts, also for making busts or forms more pliable so that
figures may be artificially made up on busts and the defects of figure improved.
For these purposes I make the arms with moveable joints as nearly as.
possible to imitate nature & set or attach them at the upper end or shoulder in a
block of wood A Fig. 1 having an oblong opening B, the shoulder or upper part
of arm is then fastened in this opening by means of two dowels one on top C 1 the
other underneath C 2, or a dowel may be placed through the block from C1 to C 2,.
so that the arm at shoulder can be moved backwards and forwards horizontally to
give a similar movement to the natural motion of the upper arm at shoulder; I may
also make a joint in the arm between the shoulder & elbow for the purpose of
lengthening the distance from the shoulder to the elbow; for this purpose I
preferably divide the upper arm at D in the centre & fix to one portion
a small iron rod E & bore a hole in the corresponding portion F &
fix or adjust the iron rod by a counter thumb screw G. or other suitable
contrivance, the block A is then fixed into the bust as shown in Fig. 2. which
is also specially constructed at the shoulder and cut away at A' at a distance
of from 3 to 6 inches from the neck according to the proportionate size of the
figure. The opening A¹ indicates the exact position where the arm hole should
come thus forming a guide for fitting in the sleeve of a bodice. When I make the
bust or form in the ordinary way with the shoulder extending some 5 to 8 inches
from the neck according to the size of figure forming the usual extension large
enough to do duty for a part of the arm at shoulder I sew or fix a cord, thread,
thin braid or other suitable material at A. Fig. 3. so as to form an indication of
the plan or position where the sleeve or armhole should be fitted thus in a simple
manner forming a substitute for the arm. When making an expensive armlet or
shoulder to facilitate the fitting in sleeves of dress bodices I employ a piece of
turned wood suitably shaped shown at A Fig. 4. with a screw attached B having a
screw nut to correspond which is fixed inside shoulder of bust C, this contrivance
will also form an exact guide as to the position of the armhole when the armlet is
unscrewed & when screwed home affords a good substitute for the upper part of
arm or shoulder so that a sleeve may be correctly fitted.
For altering and adjusting the length of the bust or form in any desired part I
preferably divide the bust into sections at the waist A Fig. 5. or anywhere above
the waist line my object being to make a long waisted bust or form to a short
waist; for this purpose I employ a telescopic standard or centre piece to go through
the centre of the bust or form which may be made adjustable to any desired height
by means of the ordinary iron rod & thumb screw B & make an opening in the back
of bust to admit the band for the purpose of adjusting to the desired length as
described & shown in Fig. 1 for lengthening the upper arm, or I may employ other
suitable mechanical contrivances such as a notched rod with a spring grip. Where
the bust or form is divided I preferably make the upper section vertically divided
into four parts as shown at D from the breast downwards & hinge on top so as to

page_text: allow the vertically divided sections to expand or compress by means of four small
springs which I fix to the telescopic standard at E which pressing against the inner
sides of the four sections will keep them close to the lower section at waist or a few
inches above. These contrivances are an enlargement upon the plan for lengthening
or shortening the waist length as described in my Patent No. 4825, 1888. For
altering or adjusting the bottom parts of dress stands at back commonly known as
trains of dresses I either cut away a portion of the skirt form at the lower
extremity of the back portion & make it adjustable by hinging or sliding out or
I introduce a specially shaped section as shown at A Fig. 7. which I preferably
hook on to one of the lower circles of the skirt form B having a toothed rachet
hinged to the lower end of the train or added section which is made adjustable by the
teeth of the rachet lodging on the lower circle of the skirt form so that the train or
section can be raised to any desired position or I may employ double wire slides or
a set of steps or other mechanical contrivances without departing from the object
of my invention. When making busts or forms in vertically divided sections in
order to improve the adjustment of the sections, I fix a toothed rachet to the inner
sides & a slot for them to work in on the corresponding sections which is specially
applicable to my expanding busts & forms. To make busts or forms pliable
make them of fibrous pulp or other material & cover with a considerable thickness
of horsehair or other pliable material or I fix springs to give the necessary
pliability or I may make the bust to any particular type of figure & an extra
covering for improving the same so as to more truly represent an ideal figure which
is made of coarse open canvas to fit tightly on the bust and a layer of horsehair
sewn on with thread until the pliable make up is complete; padding is then over-
laid with another lining of canvas or I may make pads of a suitable thickness on
the bust of horsehair or other pliable material for the purpose of making up any
part of the figure to more nearly represent the ideal shape.
Having now particularly described & ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion & in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1st. Arms with an horizontal backward and forward movement at shoulders to
imitate nature substantially as shown & described.
2nd. The cutting away of shoulder of busts and forming busts & forms with
openings at shoulders to exactly indicate the position of the armhole of a dress
bodice as shown & described.
3rd. The construction of arms adjustable in length as described.
4th. The fastening of cord, thread, or braid to indicate where the armhole
should be cut & made as described.
5th. The construction of armlets of an improved shape to represent the upper end
of an arm or shoulder with screws & nut substantially as described.
6th. The construction of busts & forms in horizontally & vertically divided
sections for lengthening busts substantially as described.
7th. The construction of train adjusters substantially as shown & described.
8th. The use of horse hair & springs for making busts more pliable substantially
as described.
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