Excerpts from: EVOLUTION OF THE MANNEQUIN

Body forms have been used in the construction or display of garments for centuries. A very early wooden body form was discovered, along with royal apparel for the next world, when the tomb of Egyptian King Tutankhamen was opened in 1922. King Tut's "mannequin" dates to 1350 B.C.

By 1850 clothing manufacture was the largest enterprise in New York City. Young working women quickly became skilled at the machines and earned enough to support their new interest in fashion. Sizes were standardized, and ordinary people could buy ready-made clothes at affordable prices in shops and department stores.

Clearly here was opportunity to put style on parade, to move garments from the hanger to a three-dimensional vision of "that could be me." Dressmaker forms morphed into mannequins with eye appeal. The old materials gave way to wax and papier mâché, which were used into the 1930s. Papier mâché was lighter but wax was more sculptural, although it was subject to softening in a sunny window.

In 1945, a group of French fashion designers developed a plan to show the world that even after the ravages of war their country was still the leader in fashion. Enlisting the talents of top designers, including Balenciaga and Schiaparelli, they created 172 twenty-seven-inch-tall mannequins, dressed them in the latest French fashions, and sent them out on a world tour. The exhibit, called Théâtre de la Mode, toured England and the United States. In the early 1950s the figures from the exhibit were acquired by the Maryhill Museum of Art in Goldendale, Washington, where they can be seen today.

Mannequin-like figures can have a mysterious presence. The staring clown doll who comes to life, the robotic fortuneteller in the dusty window of an old-time penny arcade, and images from film and literature can still cause a chill down the spine. From the lovable android Data in the long-running television series Star Trek to the beautiful replicant Rachael in the cult classic Blade Runner, writers have also encouraged an exploration of social ethics through stories that involve artificial "people."

Mannequins will continue to change with the times, mirroring and surprising future generations. What is unlikely to change, however, is the endless creativity of mannequin artists, sculptors, and window dressers-and the power mannequins exert over the imagination.

- DIANE SYME