Early vintage mannequins..

[Dark Knight]

This is absolutely fascinating. I love history of any kind, especially documentaries and this would make a great film. Thanks, Joe 90. Well done.

[Joe 90]

There is no museum display or written records of mannequins until the industrial revolution. However, late 17th century saw the emergence of wire framed versions of mannequins. They were stuffed with leather but were not employed in store displays. What brought these mannequins to the store was the creation of plate glass, sewing machine and the filament lamp. These acted as the catalyst for the installation of window panes in retail shops by 1880. The industrial revolution itself was the catalyst for the production of large quantities of clothing, now the middle classes could also spend on fashionable clothes, which were earlier the cartel of Royalty only. Since more shops were opened, more mannequins were employed in the stores.

[Joe 90]

'The rise and fall of mannequins that look like real women'.
They stare vacantly out of the shop window, adorned with the latest trends, the silent figures of fashion. But they are not just vehicles for the fashion industry to showcase their creations to potential customers. Mannequins communicate more than we might think about attitudes to body image in any given era. Unfortunately, we now live in age where people are highly judgemental about body size, height, shape and appearance and so most store mannequins are a uniform height of 6ft with size 6 feet and slim with small busts and no hips. They can be faceless and headless also to appear as inoffensive as possible.
However, with each age attitudes to the representation of women's bodies change and with that so will the mannequins. Victorian and Edwardian mannequins were also headless and less provocative during that era to reflect the attitudes of that time. With their flowing dresses they appear to drift across the store flooring like ghosts.

[Joe 90]

Man, so much nicer than the faceless and often headless figures of today.

I hope I have managed to explain the reason for this above Mr Franz.

[Joe 90]

mannequins of the 19th century were mostly glorified dress forms, headless bodies made from wood, leather, wire, and papier-mâché mounted onto heavy iron bases. If they had limbs, their poses were extremely limited, with either both feet together or one stepping forward, arms hanging limply at their sides.
Edwardian and Victorian mannequins are big busted, with three poses (left foot forward, right foot forward, together) and waists wasp thin to model corsets .

[Joe 90]

With the onset of the First World War in 1914, women undertake laborious factory jobs in industries such as weapon manufacturing, replacing men conscripted to the front line. Mannequins, reflecting this social change, shed their hats, unlace their corsets, expose knees and ankles, and flatten the Victorian mono-breast. As women became practical mannequins shapes follow suit.

[Joe 90]

So cool,
such artistry.
Thanks for sharing

Yes they are really amazing, thank you for visiting Messenger. Some of these incredible mannequins still exist today over a hundred years later.

[Joe 90]

Typically, male mannequins of the early 20th century lagged behind their female counterparts, with blasé expressions on cartoonish faces that appeared to be coated in too much makeup. However, Imans also created many incredible hyper - realistic male mannequins of which you can find throughout this thread.

[Joe 90]

War demands practicality
— Following WW1, mannequins become more relaxed, with movable limbs rather than stiff Victorian poses.

— Mannequins become more realistic and they could be mistaken for the real thing.

[Joe 90]

Although the Edwardian Era was relatively short-lived, it has become widely known as the years when arts and crafts flourished. This is also the last British era to be named after the reigning monarch of the time.
Morals were laxer during Edward’s reign, which was a stark contrast to Victorian conservativeness.
The fight for women’s equality further advanced, as they shed the passivity that marked the Victorian era.
Accordingly, the stiff, unnatural bodies of early mannequins were well-matched for the Victorian era's restrictive ideas about women’s rights and fashions, which dictated they wear many layers of heavy fabric over tight-fitting corsets. The mannequins that followed were more expressive in their poses, had realistic faces and were no longer headless body forms.
Images of actual mannequin displays at that time are hard to find, here are some below :

[Joe 90]

Edwardian Fashion :
King Edward and Queen Alexandra’s tastes set the trends for this era’s fashion. British high society and the middle class followed their King’s lavish lifestyle.
This era dropped the heavy fabrics and sombre colours that the Victorians espoused. The hour glass shape also disappeared, as the “S” curve became more popular. This was achieved by using a less constrictive corset, which gave women an elongated silhouette with a mono bosom.
“The Gibson Girl” personified the ideal woman during the Edwardian era. Described to be fun loving, sophisticated, strong, and youthful. She is also slender with an ample bosom and hips, a small waist, and hair piled high on her head.

[Joe 90]

Camilla Antoinette Clifford, a Belgian born stage actress, was the quintessential model of a "Gibson Girl" . She often wore long, elegant gowns and tight corsets that gave her an 18-inch waist.
S-bend corsets were also called straight front corsets and were invented in the early 1900s during the Edwardian era. This posture caused a lady to swing her hips in a lovely manner thrusting her posterior out, giving her a wiggle while she walked.

[Joe 90]

Men’s Clothing :
Men’s clothing , on the other hand, remained the same. Slim and tightly fitted looks stayed popular. Men also prefer dark colours, be it for day or evening wear, although formal events still call for luxurious styling. Hats, bow tie and/or neckties completed their attire. There was, however, a huge demand for sports apparel, as interests in these activities boomed.

[Joe 90]

1839 was the date generally accepted as the birth year of practical photography. The Daguerréotype was the first publicly available photographic process; it was widely used during the 1840s and 1850s. It was superseded by 1860 with a new less expensive process the Ambrotype, which provided more readily viewable images. When Victorian and Edwardian mannequins were made photography was in its infancy and was quite expensive. Images for shop floor displays are not easy to find. The top image is from the Eaton store in Winnipeg and the bottom image is from the Harrods store in London, two cities I have lived in.

[Joe 90]

By the 1920s, the formal, straight-laced, and big-busted Victorian woman is gone, rejected, and replaced by the easy-going, boyish and androgynous flapper who favoured a slender, straight figure with a flat chest. Mannequins of this period emulate this transition of preference, and simultaneously reveal the influence of Art Deco and Art Nouveau movements with their geometric renditions of the human form.