Mannequins are extremely complicated, I know we have posted links in the past that go into the details of how to choose and how to dress. With men's clothing the arms are usually the hardest part since they have to be put in through long sleeves and do not always catch in the socket easily when sleeves lack room for movement.

There is not any one supplier that is perfect. Dorfman uses archival materials, but I personally do not like the shapes of them in regard to proper support and aesthetics in the gallery, I find commercial mannequins to be more stable and a better base for padding out and creating proper support. Costumes should always have a barrier between the mannequin and the costume, usually pantyhose are the best choice.

As far as painting goes, a good cured pain job is pretty easy to do, I like the dense foam rollers with a semi gloss paint, because the paint dries to a smooth, skinlike texture.

On Thu, Mar 20, 2014 at 9:18 AM, Elizabeth Thrond <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Good morning, all,

I am wondering if anyone can provide me with some recommendations as to museum-quality mannequins. Our programming necessitates that we purchase one now for an exhibit being installed at the end of April. Specifically, we have WWI uniforms that we need to display during our upcoming Dakota Conference on the Great War and the Northern Plains. That's our current need, but we want to purchase a mannequin that can be used repeatedly and in various contexts

So here are the specs we're looking for:

Male (we have a few female forms already available)
Abstract
Removable head
Neutral color, preferably black (as it will be used at times for Native American textiles)
Fits in a 6'3" case

Any suggestions are welcome. I've been searching on-line with varying levels of success. Thank you!

~Liz Thrond

Collections Assistant

Center for Western Studies

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