<P> A mannequin (also called a manikin, dummy, lay figure or dress form) is an often articulated doll used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, windowdressers and others especially to display or fit clothing . The term is also used for life - sized dolls with simulated airways used in the teaching of first aid, CPR, and advanced airway management skills such as tracheal intubation and for human figures used in computer simulation to model the behavior of the human body . During the 1950s, mannequins were used in nuclear tests to help show the effects of nuclear weapons on humans . </P> <P> Mannequin comes from the French word mannequin, which had acquired the meaning "an artist's jointed model", which in turn came from the Flemish word manneken, meaning "little man, figurine". In early use in the United Kingdom, it referred to fashion models themselves, the meaning as a dummy dating from the start of World War II . </P> <P> Shop mannequins are derived from dress forms used by fashion houses for dress making . The use of mannequins originated in the 15th century, when miniature "milliners' mannequins" were used to demonstrate fashions for customers . Full - scale, wickerwork mannequins came into use in the mid-18th century . Wirework mannequins were manufactured in Paris from 1835 . </P> <P> The first fashion mannequins, made of papier - mâché, were made in France in the mid-19th century . Mannequins were later made of wax to produce a more lifelike appearance . In the 1920s, wax was supplanted by a more durable composite made with plaster . </P>

When were life-sized mannequins first used in retail