AN EXPANDING DRESS STAND
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Elizabeth Eavestaff, of No. 36, Upper Berkeley Street,
Portman Square, in the County of Middlesex, Milliner, for an Invention of
"AN EXPANDING DRESS STAND."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Elizabeth Eavestaff at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th November 1880.
ELIZABETH EAVESTAFF, of No. 36, Upper Berkeley Street, Portman Squaro, in
the County of Middlesex, Milliner. "AN EXPANDING DRESS STAND."
My Invention consists of a dress stand which is so constructed that it can be
adapted to the shape of any human figure, so as to enable dresses to be accurately
fitted to the shape without the necessity of personal atendance after a correct
measure is taken.
For this purpose I take an ordinary dress stand which is in the form of
the trunk of the human body, only somewhat smaller than those ordinarily
used.
This stand is enveloped in a case of airtight material, elastic or otherwise, also
shaped like the human trunk, but with the addition of bag shaped parts representing
arms.
This case is hermetically fixed to the part of the stand representing the neck
& to the base, so that the whole forms a stand enveloped in an air-tight caso
representing a human trunk with arms. There is an aperture in the case for the
purpose of inflating it.
I apply this Invention to dressmaking purposes as follows:-
I make the ordinary pattern of a dress according to measurement and put it on
the stand before it is inflated. I then inflate the case until it exactly fits the
pattern, by which means I obtain an accurate representation of the figure to be
fitted.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Elizabeth Eavestaff in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th May 1881.
ELIZABETH EAVESTAFF, of 36, Upper Berkeley Street, Portman Square, in the
County of Middlesex, Milliner. "AN EXPANDING DRESS STAND."
My Invention consists of a dress stand which is so constructed that it can be
adapted to the shape of the human figure, so as to enable dresses to be accurately
fitted to the shape without the necessity of personal attendance after a correct
measure has been taken.
For this purpose I take the centre part of an ordinary dress stand having a
block for the neck and another for the base. This is enveloped in a case of
airtight pliable material, elastic or otherwise, shaped like the human trunk, and
with or without the addition of bag shaped parts representing arms.
This case is fixed to the part of the dress stand representing the neck, and also
to the base, so that the whole forms a dress stand representing a human trunk!
with or without arms.
There is an aperture at a convenient part of the case for the purpose of
inflating it.
I apply this Invention to dressmaking purposes as follows:-
I make the ordinary pattern of a dress according to measurement, and fit it over
the air tight case before it is inflated.
I then inflate the case until it exactly fits the pattern, by which means I obtain
an accurate representation of the figure to be fitted.
Having thus fully described my Invention, and in what manner the same is to
performed, I claim as my Invention the application of the apparatus above described
for the purpose above stated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Elizabeth Eavestaff, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of May, One thousand eight hundred
and eighty one.
ELIZABETH EAVESTAFF.
(L.S.)