Mannequins are a continual problem.  I disagree with you that the
commercial, contemporary ("store") mannequins are easy to dress.  The ease
is more dependent on the garment than the mannequin.  Close-fitting,
fragile or unusually constructed garments are difficult to dress on any
mannequin.  The mannequin must be made to fit the object, not the other
way around.

Most garments dating before about 1940 are cut very
differently from modern garments, and therefore do not fit contemporary
mannequins very well.  The most frequent problem areas are neck
circumference, back width, armscye (armhole) circumference, bust height
and shape or chest width, torso and hip length.  We use contemporary
mannequins or dress forms (a dress form or dressmaker's dummy is a torso
on a stand, with no head or arms), but do considerable surgery and/or
reconstruction to each.  Body parts or sections are removed and patched
with fiberglass or similar material; small areas are padded out with
layers of cotton batting strips in a manner similar to that used by
dressmakers to create a custom shape.  All object surfaces are
protected from the mannequin and provided with additional support by a
layer of cotton stockinette.

There are "period" mannequins available, but they are very expensive
(last time I checked, about $2500 apiece, plus shipping from Japan), and
often require as much reconstruction as the others.  They do have
advantages: they are available with poseable legs and arms, are
"waistless"-that is, are open in the waist.  This means that you have to
rebuild the waist with something, as most garments need support there,
but you get to decide on the waist height and circumference.  Also, these
mannequins do not have child or male versions that I know of.

Virginia Pledger developed a system for creating custom mannequins that
is strong, relatively easy and inexpensive, but very time-consuming.  She
originally designed it for the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, and now
contracts independently. She teaches the method each year at the Campbell
Center for Historic Preservation Studies in Illinois.

The Cincinnatti Art Museum used to sell a pattern for a mannequin they
called the "Stuffed Shirt"--literally a life size rag doll on a wood and
wire frame.  I'm not sure if it is still available.  Again, it is
inexpensive, but time consuming.

The currently accepted convention is to treat the mannequin as a support,
and, unless the facial features are an important part of the story (check
out the catalog for "Becoming American Women" by Barbara Schreier at the
Chicago Hisorical Society), they are generally made as generic as
possible.  If facial features in painted in, you need to make sure that
the "make-up" is historically accurate.  1960s makeup on a mannequin
wearing an 1860s dress looks quite silly and is misinformational.  Then
there is the issue of hair...

In short, there is no short answer to the problem of mannequins.  Most
institutions find some kind of compromise, keeping accuracy and object
care foremost.  Each object has to be carefully measured and treated
independently, as each is likely to have its own problems.

If you're interested in the address for the Kyoto period mannequins or
other sources, please call or write.

Good luck

Pat Roath
Elizabeth Sage Historic Costume Collection
Indiana University
Bloomington, IN  4705
812-855-4627
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On Mon, 10 Jun 1996, Emanuel Andrade C.
Sancho wrote:

> I wonder what would be the best type of manekins for a costume museum? The
> normal comercial
> shop manekim would be acceptable? Is it recomendable a manekim with an
> expresive face ?
> In "my" museum we have been using so far silhouetes in wood wich are not
> expensive and
> tecnically acceptable because they are absolutely neutral (no face), but quite
> difficult  to "dress"
> because it is necessary to be filled to get the right volumes. Anyway, now we
> are trying to change
> to something easier to work with, but we feel the normal manekins are not
> exactly what we're looking for,
> in spite of beeing extremely easy to dress...
> Does anyone have this experience or similar problem ?
>
> Emanuel
>
> Ps. Apologises for the terrible english
>