Open Forum

Is there a place where I can buy museum acid free mannequins that is not so expensive?   I look into Dorfman they are just so expensive.

thank you

------------------------------
Lisa Petitta
Historian
Solders & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum
Pittsburgh Pa
------------------------------

Lisa,

You might check out Roxy Display.  They carry the mannequins used in department stores and such.

I don't know if they are acid free, though.  They do have a multitude of styles, and cost much less than the Dorfman mannequins.  Personally, I'd love to use the Dorfman mannequins for everything, but we simply can't afford it.

------------------------------
Robert Ratliff
Director, History Fanatics
Houston TX
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-27-2017 02:47 PM
From: Lisa Petitta
Subject: museum acid free mannequins

Is there a place where I can buy museum acid free mannequins that is not so expensive?   I look into Dorfman they are just so expensive.

thank you

------------------------------
Lisa Petitta
Historian
Solders & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum
Pittsburgh Pa
------------------------------

Thank you Robert!

------------------------------
Lisa Petitta
Historian
Solders & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum
Pittsburgh Pa
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 05-01-2017 02:38 PM
From: Robert Ratliff
Subject: museum acid free mannequins

Lisa,

You might check out Roxy Display.  They carry the mannequins used in department stores and such.

I don't know if they are acid free, though.  They do have a multitude of styles, and cost much less than the Dorfman mannequins.  Personally, I'd love to use the Dorfman mannequins for everything, but we simply can't afford it.

------------------------------
Robert Ratliff
Director, History Fanatics
Houston TX
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-27-2017 02:47 PM
From: Lisa Petitta
Subject: museum acid free mannequins

Is there a place where I can buy museum acid free mannequins that is not so expensive?   I look into Dorfman they are just so expensive.

thank you

------------------------------
Lisa Petitta
Historian
Solders & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum
Pittsburgh Pa
------------------------------

Lisa,

I second Robert's suggestion. Our museum recently purchased a number of Roxy Display mannequins for our temporary exhibition needs (displays usually lasting between 1 and 3 months). The temporary nature is critical: the bodies of these forms are made of inexpensive polyurethane, which offgasses and ages poorly. We've determined, institutionally, that long-term clothing display in an exhibition requires a Dorfman, which is made of non-reactive ethafoam, polyester batting and stockinette, but Roxy forms are acceptable for our short-term exhibition.

And that being said, I am incredibly impressed with the quality of the Roxy mannequins we bought for the price we paid. We purchased theJF-F02Sarm+BS-05 andJF-m02arm+BS-05 off of Amazon. The metal stand is heavy and stable, the shoulders are more adjustable than I hoped, and you can even bend some life into those arms and fingers. The female figure, though, is exceptionally busty. The blog post below (Making a Workable Dress Form - or - The Violent Transformation of Franken-Lilly) details the carving of the exact same form for a costumer's purposes, but--again--if you're carving into the foam for a custom shape or size, keep offgassing in mind, and make sure to give the form plenty of time to do that before exposing it to collection garments on temporary display.

I hope this helps.

Best,

------------------------------
Emilie Arnold
Assistant Curator of Exhibitions
Orange County Regional History Center
Orlando FL
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 05-01-2017 02:38 PM
From: Robert Ratliff
Subject: museum acid free mannequins

Lisa,

You might check out Roxy Display.  They carry the mannequins used in department stores and such.

I don't know if they are acid free, though.  They do have a multitude of styles, and cost much less than the Dorfman mannequins.  Personally, I'd love to use the Dorfman mannequins for everything, but we simply can't afford it.

------------------------------
Robert Ratliff
Director, History Fanatics
Houston TX
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-27-2017 02:47 PM
From: Lisa Petitta
Subject: museum acid free mannequins

Is there a place where I can buy museum acid free mannequins that is not so expensive?   I look into Dorfman they are just so expensive.

thank you

------------------------------
Lisa Petitta
Historian
Solders & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum
Pittsburgh Pa
------------------------------

Thank you so much for the great advice.   It is greatly appreciated!
Lisa

------------------------------
Lisa Petitta
Historian
Solders & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum
Pittsburgh Pa
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 05-02-2017 08:30 AM
From: Emilie Arnold
Subject: museum acid free mannequins

Lisa,

I second Robert's suggestion. Our museum recently purchased a number of Roxy Display mannequins for our temporary exhibition needs (displays usually lasting between 1 and 3 months). The temporary nature is critical: the bodies of these forms are made of inexpensive polyurethane, which offgasses and ages poorly. We've determined, institutionally, that long-term clothing display in an exhibition requires a Dorfman, which is made of non-reactive ethafoam, polyester batting and stockinette, but Roxy forms are acceptable for our short-term exhibition.

And that being said, I am incredibly impressed with the quality of the Roxy mannequins we bought for the price we paid. We purchased theJF-F02Sarm+BS-05 andJF-m02arm+BS-05 off of Amazon. The metal stand is heavy and stable, the shoulders are more adjustable than I hoped, and you can even bend some life into those arms and fingers. The female figure, though, is exceptionally busty. The blog post below (Making a Workable Dress Form - or - The Violent Transformation of Franken-Lilly) details the carving of the exact same form for a costumer's purposes, but--again--if you're carving into the foam for a custom shape or size, keep offgassing in mind, and make sure to give the form plenty of time to do that before exposing it to collection garments on temporary display.

I hope this helps.

Best,

------------------------------
Emilie Arnold
Assistant Curator of Exhibitions
Orange County Regional History Center
Orlando FL
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 05-01-2017 02:38 PM
From: Robert Ratliff
Subject: museum acid free mannequins

Lisa,

You might check out Roxy Display.  They carry the mannequins used in department stores and such.

I don't know if they are acid free, though.  They do have a multitude of styles, and cost much less than the Dorfman mannequins.  Personally, I'd love to use the Dorfman mannequins for everything, but we simply can't afford it.

------------------------------
Robert Ratliff
Director, History Fanatics
Houston TX
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-27-2017 02:47 PM
From: Lisa Petitta
Subject: museum acid free mannequins

Is there a place where I can buy museum acid free mannequins that is not so expensive?   I look into Dorfman they are just so expensive.

thank you

------------------------------
Lisa Petitta
Historian
Solders & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum
Pittsburgh Pa
------------------------------

I'm going to third all of the messages.  I don't know if the brand was Roxy (the mannequins I saw on their website don't look quite like the ones we got) but we did a trial run with some that were about 1/3 the cost of Dorfman mannequins and we had the same problem with the offgassing. When we first took them out of the box, the smell was so strong that it was nauseating. We let them sit in our workroom for about three months and the smell had decreased significantly but was still there.  We made the decision to use them for a temporary exhibit with items that weren't artifacts and also used them on open air platforms rather than sealed cases.  We took the exhibit down last week and the smell is completely gone now.  We bought them in May of 2016 but since I wasn't checking them when they were on display, I'm not sure exactly how long it takes for the smell to dissipate.

I would be hesitant to use them for a long term, permanent display.  It's hard to say what that foam is doing that I'm unable to detect with my nose, or what it may do a few years down the road.

Anyway, that's my experience.  I hope you're able to find something that works well for you!

------------------------------
Geoffrey Woodcox
Assistant Curator of Collections
State Historical Society of North Dakota
Bismarck ND
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 05-02-2017 08:30 AM
From: Emilie Arnold
Subject: museum acid free mannequins

Lisa,

I second Robert's suggestion. Our museum recently purchased a number of Roxy Display mannequins for our temporary exhibition needs (displays usually lasting between 1 and 3 months). The temporary nature is critical: the bodies of these forms are made of inexpensive polyurethane, which offgasses and ages poorly. We've determined, institutionally, that long-term clothing display in an exhibition requires a Dorfman, which is made of non-reactive ethafoam, polyester batting and stockinette, but Roxy forms are acceptable for our short-term exhibition.

And that being said, I am incredibly impressed with the quality of the Roxy mannequins we bought for the price we paid. We purchased theJF-F02Sarm+BS-05 andJF-m02arm+BS-05 off of Amazon. The metal stand is heavy and stable, the shoulders are more adjustable than I hoped, and you can even bend some life into those arms and fingers. The female figure, though, is exceptionally busty. The blog post below (Making a Workable Dress Form - or - The Violent Transformation of Franken-Lilly) details the carving of the exact same form for a costumer's purposes, but--again--if you're carving into the foam for a custom shape or size, keep offgassing in mind, and make sure to give the form plenty of time to do that before exposing it to collection garments on temporary display.

I hope this helps.

Best,

------------------------------
Emilie Arnold
Assistant Curator of Exhibitions
Orange County Regional History Center
Orlando FL
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 05-01-2017 02:38 PM
From: Robert Ratliff
Subject: museum acid free mannequins

Lisa,

You might check out Roxy Display.  They carry the mannequins used in department stores and such.

I don't know if they are acid free, though.  They do have a multitude of styles, and cost much less than the Dorfman mannequins.  Personally, I'd love to use the Dorfman mannequins for everything, but we simply can't afford it.

------------------------------
Robert Ratliff
Director, History Fanatics
Houston TX
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-27-2017 02:47 PM
From: Lisa Petitta
Subject: museum acid free mannequins

Is there a place where I can buy museum acid free mannequins that is not so expensive?   I look into Dorfman they are just so expensive.

thank you

------------------------------
Lisa Petitta
Historian
Solders & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum
Pittsburgh Pa
------------------------------

University Products carry Economy Ethafoam mannequins (covered in a polyester stockinette) that are slightly cheaper than Dorfman. We have been very pleased with the quality and the versatility of the forms.



------------------------------
Nicole Caldwell
Curator of Collections
Haggin Museum
Stockton CA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-27-2017 02:47 PM
From: Lisa Petitta
Subject: museum acid free mannequins

Is there a place where I can buy museum acid free mannequins that is not so expensive?   I look into Dorfman they are just so expensive.

thank you

------------------------------
Lisa Petitta
Historian
Solders & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum
Pittsburgh Pa
------------------------------

The mannequins sold by University Products are Dorfmans. When they first introduced them they were on sale, but from what I can tell, it is more expensive to get them through University Products than directly from Dorfman. 

The true discount option for archival mannequins is to make your own. There are a few methods you can find online. Museum Textile Services is a good place to start:
Displaying Historic Costume

------------------------------
Clara Berg
Collections Specialist
Museum of History & Industry
Seattle WA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 05-03-2017 12:05 PM
From: Nicole Caldwell
Subject: museum acid free mannequins

University Products carry Economy Ethafoam mannequins (covered in a polyester stockinette) that are slightly cheaper than Dorfman. We have been very pleased with the quality and the versatility of the forms.



------------------------------
Nicole Caldwell
Curator of Collections
Haggin Museum
Stockton CA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-27-2017 02:47 PM
From: Lisa Petitta
Subject: museum acid free mannequins

Is there a place where I can buy museum acid free mannequins that is not so expensive?   I look into Dorfman they are just so expensive.

thank you

------------------------------
Lisa Petitta
Historian
Solders & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum
Pittsburgh Pa
------------------------------

This is a great resource, Clara! Thank you!

------------------------------
Emilie Arnold
Assistant Curator of Exhibitions
Orange County Regional History Center
Orlando FL
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 05-04-2017 12:03 PM
From: Clara Berg
Subject: museum acid free mannequins

The mannequins sold by University Products are Dorfmans. When they first introduced them they were on sale, but from what I can tell, it is more expensive to get them through University Products than directly from Dorfman. 

The true discount option for archival mannequins is to make your own. There are a few methods you can find online. Museum Textile Services is a good place to start:
Displaying Historic Costume

------------------------------
Clara Berg
Collections Specialist
Museum of History & Industry
Seattle WA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 05-03-2017 12:05 PM
From: Nicole Caldwell
Subject: museum acid free mannequins

University Products carry Economy Ethafoam mannequins (covered in a polyester stockinette) that are slightly cheaper than Dorfman. We have been very pleased with the quality and the versatility of the forms.



------------------------------
Nicole Caldwell
Curator of Collections
Haggin Museum
Stockton CA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-27-2017 02:47 PM
From: Lisa Petitta
Subject: museum acid free mannequins

Is there a place where I can buy museum acid free mannequins that is not so expensive?   I look into Dorfman they are just so expensive.

thank you

------------------------------
Lisa Petitta
Historian
Solders & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum
Pittsburgh Pa
------------------------------

I'm late to the discussion. I suggest Gaylord products: Archival Dress Forms, Head Forms, Conservation Forms, Hat Stands | Gaylord Archival

Gaylord		remove preview
Archival Dress Forms, Head Forms, Conservation Forms, Hat Stands | Gaylord Archival View this on Gaylord >

------------------------------
Mariano Desmaras
Creative Director
Museum Environments LLC
New York NY
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-27-2017 02:47 PM
From: Lisa Petitta
Subject: museum acid free mannequins

Is there a place where I can buy museum acid free mannequins that is not so expensive?   I look into Dorfman they are just so expensive.

thank you

------------------------------
Lisa Petitta
Historian
Solders & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum
Pittsburgh Pa
------------------------------