Page:The cutters' practical guide to the cutting of ladies' garments.djvu/10

2 directions: and, having acquired this knowledge, the cutter will be able to distinguish between the possible and the impossible in nature, and so lay the foundation for formulating sound systems. It will enable him to understand the outline of the form he has to clothe, independent of such artificial appliances as bustles, crinolines, &c., &c.

It teaches the symmetry of the body, and shows how the left side is an almost exact reproduction of the right only in reverse.

It teaches where growth is possible and where impossible; how certain bones always remain near the surface of the skin, and how when the body develops either fat or muscle, where the increment is placed, and how it affects the surrounding parts.

It teaches the movements of limbs, where the three different joints are to be found, viz., the gliding, the universal or ball socket and the hinge joint.

But the study that applies more particularly to this work, is what we may turn comparative anatomy, by which we may realize the difference between the male and female form, and as we have treated of anatomy in Part I of the "Cutter's Practical Guide," we will suppose the readers of this work have made themselves, to a certain extent, acquainted with the general anatomy the male form. On

The female skeleton is illustrated, and on figure 2 the male. By comparison we at once notice the smallness of the ribs and the largeness of the hips, whilst the space between the chest and pelvis (hips) is much wider in woman than in man. The collar bones are weaker in woman than in man, and are differently shaped, which remarka pplies to all the bones of the superior extremities. The ribs of the female are not so arch-like nor so strong as in the male.

When the bones are quite characteristic, the male are more arched than the female ribs, especially between the fifth and ninth on either side. It is there that the female ribs are flattened, and it is in this situation that the female waist exists. In man, when strongly formed, the ribs continue fully arched, much lower down, placing his waist between the last rib and the top of the haunches.

In man, the back is strong; in woman, the loins.

But probably the point wherein the tailor will learn the best lesson is the hips, as it will soon force itself to his notice in practice how very much extra the hips are developed in the female form than the male. Another reference to Figures 1 and 2 will readily illustrate this: of the male pelvis we shall not particularise, but of the female we wish to call attention to the fine oval form it presents as compared with the male, the great breadth of the haunch bones, &c. It is this great breadth of the hips in woman, that the ladies' tailor has to observe and make provision for, and which, together with the other peculiarities of the female skeleton, will open his eyes to the reason for many of the effects he has to deal with. Important as is the study of anatomy as a foundation upon which to build up a scientific and practical knowledge, we do not wish to overlook the undisputed fact, that the skeleton bears but an indistinct resemblance to the outside, the muscles and flesh formation having much to do with that. But a little study will soon inform us where and how these muscles develop, and as we know the bones never really alter their actual forms (though they may seem to do so by the condition of the surrounding muscles) and consequently a knowledge of the skeleton formation is the very best foundation we can possibly have. In

We have illustrations showing the proportions of man and woman, taken from a manual of artistic anatomy by Robert Knox, M.D., F.R.S.E., which still further emphasizes the lessons we learnt from the skeleton. The shoulders are small, the circumference of the chest is increased by the development of the breasts, the extra size of the hips and thighs, and lastly the softness of outline which seems to hide every trace of the skeleton, and even tones down and in many cases altogether hides the muscle development which is so clearly marked in man.

We cannot close this section on anatomy, without referring to one of the best works published in modern times by J. Bononi, F.R.A.S., M.S.B.A., entitled, Proportions of the Human Figure and from which the following diagrams and quotations of relative proportions of the human figure are taken.

Amongst the various difficult questions which are always cropping up in connection with our art is: What is proportion? and on this topic we give the definition of proportion as laid down by Virtrivius. "Proportion is the commensuration of the various constituent parts with the whole, on the existence of which symmetry is found to consist." As, for instance, the human frame is divided into four equal parts by very distinctly marked divisions in its structure and outward form. See