Improvements in Lay-figures or Dummies,
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Mar., 1888
Specification Accepted, 4th May, 1888
Improvements in Lay-figures or Dummies,
I, PAUL BASCHWITZ, of No. 25 Seydel Strasse, Berlin, Germany, Manufacturer,
do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LAY-FIGURES
OR DUMMIES and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
"
My invention relates to improvements in figures used by tailors, dressmakers,
costumiers and other persons. It has always been experienced as a great disadvantage
that for each form and size of a bust or dummy for fitting on apparel for ladies,
gentlemen, and young persons, a special dummy had to be made and that not only
considerable expense was hereby caused but when the said busts were as usual made
of wood, wickerwork, papier machè or other similar material, the same required a large
space for storage.
These disadvantages are entirely overcome by employing my improved construction.
Fig. 1 is an elevation of the expansible india-rubber or other air recipient in extended
condition.
Fig. 2 is an elevation of my improved fitting on figure with a bodice of non-elastic
material placed over the india-rubber recipient, in extended condition.
Fig. 3 represents the figure in collapsed condition.
Fig. 4 is a view of the lower surface of the board or base a to which the extensible
india-rubber recipient b and the bodice e of non-elastic material corresponding to the
figure of the customer are attached.
On to the board or base a 1 fix an air recipient b of india-rubber, which is preferably
of similar form to that of a dummy so that an absolutely airtight connection is secured.
The said recipient b is at its upper end provided with a tube c for enabling air to be
forced into the said recipient so that the same is inflated, said tube c being provided
with a suitable stopper or valve d in order to prevent the escape of the air forced into
the recipient b.
A cover e of non-elastic material which corresponds exactly with the form of the
body for which the article of apparel is destined is placed over the recipient b, fixed
by means of suitable loops, buttonholes or other equivalent 6' to the base a by means
of the buttons or studs a¹ and the tube c of the recipient b caused to protrude through
the neck of the non-elastic cover e.

page_text: As soon as the parts are securely fixed air is forced into the recipient b through the
tube c by means of a pair of bellows or in any other suitable manner so that the figure
represented in collapsed form in Fig. 3 will be expanded and the india-rubber recipient
so inflated that it will entirely fill out the non-elastic body e, e' or e' (Fig. 2) fitted
over the same and thus all further inflation of the recipient b, be prevented. If the
tube c is now tightly closed the wearing apparel can be fitted to the fiuished dummy.
If it is desired to try on wearing apparel for another person it is only necessary to
allow the air to escape from the recipient 6 through the tube c, when the said recipient
will collapse, the bodice or non-elastic cover e can be removed and another such said
bodice or cover e fixed to the base a after which the india-rubber recipient b is again
inflated until the model bodice or cover e is entirely filled out.
It will be evident from the foregoing that one and the same dummy can be employed
for trying or fitting on wearing apparel for persons of any size and either sex as the
elastic recipient b will, when inflated, always correspond to the size and form of the
bodice or cover e placed over the same. The advantages of the same to travellers for
clothing establishments, are, as will be evident to all acquainted with this branch of
industry, enormous, as, instead of having to transport a series of heavy dummies to
smaller towns and other parts one single collapsible apparatus will be sufficient for all
kinds and sizes of apparel.
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. Figures for use by tailors, dressmakers, costumiers and other persons and suited
for trying or fitting on wearing apparel of any form or size in the body and composed
of the rigid base a and the airtight expansible and collapsible recipient substantially
as and for the purposes described and shown on the accompanying drawings.
2. My improved apparatus for trying or fitting on wearing apparel of any form and
size and for either sex substantially as and for the purposes described and shown on
the accompanying drawings.