T-Shirt History

The ‘Era’ Exhibit at the Oswego Drag Strip Festival, Downtown Oswego. Fri 4 - 8pm, Sat 12 - 8pm, Sun 12 - 4pm, September 15-17, 2006. The next “Era” event will be held in conjunction with the 1st Annual Oswego Drag Strip Days that is September 16-17, 2006. The “Era” is an interactive, multi-media, guest racers, volunteer-enhanced exhibit recalling the 1950’s when young people from Fox Valley played a vital role in the evolution of land-speed racing and hot rodding to create modern drag racing. In fact we now believe that the Oswego Dragway is either the first, or one of the very first, privately-owned, purpose-built drag strips in the U.S. Note that for convenience the “Era” exhibit will also be open 4-8pm on Friday in addition to the Saturday and Sunday of the Drag Strip Days Festival in the middle of all of the Drag Days activities.

Boon: This is ridiculous. Pinto: What are we gonna' do? Otter & Boon: Road trip. - National Lampoon's Animal House (1978)

In any good traveling western, some of the characters die. - Peter Fonda

I've been around so long, I knew Doris Day before she was a virgin. - Oscar Levant

To publicize our project and progress and create support we've designed T-shirts to help get the word out to those as yet undiscovered Instigators and Competitors.

The Chapter One t-shirt, The Instigators, has the Oswego Drag Raceway logo circa 1965 on the front plus the Tell Us Your Story slogan. Shipping is also available for a small additional fee.

The Chapter Two t-shirt, The Competitors, has a photo collage on the front of scenes from the early days & the text. And on the back marks 2006 as the 50th Anniversary of the NHRA's Safety Safari that sanctioned the first Regional Finals in the Midwest at Oswego in 1956.

The Drag Days Festival T-shirt has different unique image on the front and the back.

According to some, the beginning of the T-shirt is credited to the navy. The US Navy that is, while other historians say it was The "swabs" in the British Royal Navy who wore them under their uniforms in World War I, some even suggest it was the French Army. American soldiers liked the comfortable lightweight cotton undershirt compared to the wool uniforms American soldiers wore and the rest is history.

Connection with the sea: Again there seems to be some discrepancy over dates, although most have the U.S. Navy issuing crew-necked, short-sleeved, white cotton undershirts around 1913. The newly created shirt allowed ease of movement and quick drying. By the 1920s the T-shirt had become an official tern in the American English Dictionary. By the late 1930s a couple of US retailers were marketing them, namely Hanes, Fruit of the Loom and Sears, Roebuck & Co. Apparently this blossoming fashion did have one setback - in 1934 Clark Gable took off his clothes to reveal no t-shirt at all in the comedy 'It Happened One Night.'. Nothing but a bare chest. This it seems sent t-shirt sales plummeting for a while.

By World War II both the US Navy and army were wearing standard issue t-shirts as underwear. However, it was really in the 1940s that the t-shirt really got going with returning US servicemen.

The Smithsonian museum has 'the oldest printed T-shirt' on record in their collection and on display. It is a campaign shirt for New York Gov. Thomas Dewey's 1948 presidential campaign.

Hollywood  Hollywood inevitably had the biggest impact on the classic tee with such iconic images as Brando's T-shirt in the 1951 'A Streetcar Named Desire' and James Dean's unforgettable white tee in 'Rebel Without a Cause' in 1955, which made t-shirt wearing cool and rebellious. This was followed by Elvis Presley and others adding to its popularity.

Protest issues of the 1960s saw the birth of the tie-dye craze in T-shirts and by the late 1960’s the introduction of screen printing guaranteed its success as a fashion accessory. The tee became a vehicle for publicizing social change and political unrest . Fashion-wise the classic tee soon spawned a number of variations such as the tank top, the V-neck, scoop neck and the muscle shirt. During the 60s and 70's it was also music that capitalized on the popularity of the t-shirt. Rock bands began selling them at concerts with images and slogans and merchandising soon became a big money spinner.

The surfing t-shirt Surfing has left its mark on the history of the t-shirt and fashion. The earliest examples of surfing t-shirts were no more than early marketing tools. Back in 1961 a Californian surfboard maker Floyd Smith is often credited as the first. Smith asked local surfers to bring their white t-shirts to his shop and he would screen-print the company logo across it. Later that year t-shirts were made to advertise the Makaha International Surfing Championships.

Within a few years the landscape had changed completely with thousands of surf company t-shirts appearing. They quickly became "symbols of the casual and free spirited surfing lifestyle".

Today in excess of 300 million surfing t-shirts alone are produced across the globe.

Today the influence of the humble t-shirt reaches every high street and back alley across the planet. Once again social issues are topical along with environmental concerns such as global warming. The t-shirt has certainly stood the test of time and it has a long way to go yet.

The T-shirt Museum was started to track the art and design of T-shirt through the years. There is almost no one that the T-shirt, its designs and messages hasn't touched. This museum will be the shrine for that art and those messages.

The T-shirt went from an article of underwear to trendy outerwear after Clark Gable wore his T-shirt in the movie "It Happened One Night." This was taken further by Marlon Brando in "Street Car Named Desire."

No one knows who first printed on a T-Shirt, but it was popularized in the 60's, when so many other things happened. The simple T-Shirt took on a life of its own, becoming a canvas for artists and a billboard for messages of the time. Everything from "Peace" to Alka Seltzer was hawked on T's.

There seems to be no slowing down the messages and art that can be applied to this cotton apparel. We stop on the edge of this mew millennium and look back at some of the classics. Peace, Woodstock, Smiley Faces, "All they got me was this lousy T-Shirt," Tommy Chong's 714, Hard Rock Cafe, and others. We offer to those shirts and to you, a place to store the memories and look towards the future, The T-Shirt Museum.

Some of the T-Shirts are still for sale, and if they are, there will be info on ordering them. If they are not for sale, or when the scan has been sent in from a visitor, we will catalog and try to track down the event, designer, sellers, and original prices, in an effort to fill in gaps.

We encourage all to send in scans of their favorite T-Shirts. We will put them on display for the world to see. Each week the staff will choose their favorites, and up to ten people will be given special T-shirt Museum T's that state, "I am hanging in the T-Shirt Museum - Work of Art" These cannot be purchased only won. Send T-Scans using the Submit button (below).

We also will accept photos, slides, printed material and shirts. They will not be returned without a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Send to: AGS, PO Box 770274, Cleveland, Ohio 44107 USA.

Thanks for stopping by and send in those T pictures. Become part of the fastest-growing, most fun site on the net, where we'll hang you up for eternity!

Dont say I didnt warn you, there’s a few dodgy ones inside. Regardless, enjoy your tour of T-Shirt Museum!

Know the history of the tee? How did the t-shirt get its start in the beginning of the twentieth century? How did the t-shirt become an American favorite? We're now into the twenty-first century, and the t-shirt remains as popular as ever.

T-shirts of yesteryear were nothing like the t-shirts you know today. It was common knowledge that the first t-shirts, as you will learn, were clearly considered something to be worn underneath clothing. Certainly, the t-shirts of old were not part of a stand-alone industry, nor were they a mode of advertising.

Believe it or not, before the 20th century, there was no consensus that underwear should be included as an essential part of one's wardrobe. Most late 19th century folks wore something like an extended shirt called the "Spiral Bustle." Then in 1901 the predecessor to Hanes introduced for sale through catalog men's underwear, a two-piece set.

The birth of the t-shirt appears to be accredited to the navy (and lots of sailors). No one seems to know for certain when the first t-shirt was made. As early as 1913 the U.S. Navy adopted a revolutionary new garment, a short-sleeved, crew-necked, white cotton undershirt. This garment was to be worn underneath a jumper. And what was the purpose of this undershirt? One must avoid scandalous sights, otherwise known as sailors' chest hairs. The standard issue shirt had somewhat of the silhouette of a "T", thus the name "t-shirt" was born.

It is also notable that during WWI while European soldiers were wearing cooler, comfy, lightweight, cotton undershirts in the humid, hot summer days, that American troops took notice. These duds were nothing like the American wool uniforms soldiers wore.

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary listed "T-Shirt" as an official word in the American English language by the 1920's. Around the late 1930's that companies including Fruit of the Loom, Hanes and Sears & Roebuck began the marketing of the t-shirt.

As of W.W. II, the Army and 12 million Navy sailors had t-seasy rider,hirts as standard issue underwear. "Skivvies", these new, inexpensive undergarments became known as. America saw, began to get comfortable with, and reveled secretly, daily news images of their wartime sons, wearing t-shirts (dressed barely, but with pants of course). Underwear was being worn as outerwear. Rules were flaunted about undergarments. Taboos were violated with this show of male sexuality.

Still, by and large, the t-shirt was an undergarment meant not to be seen. In 1934, however, Clark Gable shocked everyone, as he stripped off his dress shirt in the movie "It Happened One Night," to reveal no t-shirt at all. Women swooned, and men as well. Still, the t-shirt kept itself under wraps, to be worn primarily underneath a work or proper dress shirt.

The idea continued to quickly catch on, and due to simple design, a few years later, with the leave of many sailors during the war, the popular civilian "union suit" was reduced to a "singlet" or "jersey." In 1938, Sears introduced a t-shirt they called a "gob" shirt (named after sailors). A "gob" shirt cost 24 cents. The t-Shirt would become an empty canvas, which was allowing men to present themselves in an erotic sense and show their gender.

The t-shirt was becoming appropriate to wear as an undergarment or as an outer one. The Marines standard issue white t-shirt was replaced with sage green for camouflage purposes. In 1944, the Army surveyed enlisted men as to preference of sleeves or sleeveless. Most preferred sleeves, due to better appearance, absorption under arms, among other reasons.

The t-shirt would never be the same. Along with worldwide upheaval, WWII brought along as well the first printed t-shirts. On display at The Smithsonian Institute is the oldest printed shirt on record. This t-shirt is from Governor of New York Thomas E. Dewey's 1948 presidential campaign and sports "Dew-It with Dewey".

After the end of WWII, the t-shirt became the garment able to clearly display and advertise it all: cultural affiliation, class, and sexual orientation. 180 million t-shirts were sold in 1951. The rise of the t-Shirt can be traced back to the movies, and of course those big-screen movie stars: Marlon Brando, John Wayne, James Dean, and a young Elvis Presley who did their part to make the t-shirt, outerwear appropriate, or sexy to say the least.

1951's "A Streetcar Named Desire" featured Marlon Brando's portrayal of Stanley Kowalski, lovelorn, brutish, and primitive, riveting viewers as his buff pectorals and abs revealed themselves as unveiled by a stretched, paper-thin t-shirt. Some felt the picture created was one of a dangerous, incoherent kind of manhood, a sexualized brutality.

1955's "Rebel Without a Cause" showed James Dean wearing a t-shirt without another shirt overtop. He made the t-shirt cool, a contemporary symbol of rebellious youth. Still, t-shirts were meant primarily for men.

In 1959, Plastisol, a stretchable ink was invented, starting a revolution in t-shirt design. After that came the iron-on transfer, and finally litho transfer. Thus was the birth of the t-shirt industry. Now marketing geniuses, like Walt Disney, "flocked" letters and simple designs onto t-shirts to be sold as souvenirs to both men and women.

Still the advertising evolution of the t-shirt would be slow. The military was first to stencil company and rank on their t-shirts. Also, Ivy League Universities made clear advertisement of fraternities on their tees. Budweiser was the first to do actual "corporate-advertising" in the late 1060's, when they sported a Bud can on their company tees.

During the '60s, the hippies abandoned traditional dress for tie-dye. Of course, the t-shirt became one of the cheapest and easiest garments to purchase and dye. Folks began tie-dying and screen-printing basic cotton tees, helping it to even bigger commercial success. In 1969, t-shirt wearing hippies took on the Establishment in Easy Rider. Also, advances in printing and dying allowed more variety and the introduction of muscle shirts, scoop necks, v-necks and tanks into modern fashion.

Throughout the late 60's and 70's, the American Tee was in full bloom. Rock and Roll bands began to realize that they could make significant amounts of money selling their t-shirts. Professional Sports caught on and soon the officially licensed t-shirt became hot merchandise. 1977's "The Deep", helped to form the sexual revolution of the 1970's by means of Jacqueline Bisset's wet tee.

What about the t-shirt in the '80's and '90's? Remember Don Johnson's designer-tee and Armani suit combo ala Miami Vice? And what about the most memorable recent tee-film from 1996 "Mission: Impossible", just a bit of Tom Cruise, clad in tee, doing some serious hanging from a wire. The 80's and 90's both saw amazing production of t-shirts with improved mechanics of printing them in increased volume for increased availability. The American t-shirt has now become known as a commodity item. More than one billion t-shirts were sold in 1995.

And now, with the advent of the internet, the t-shirt continues to become even bigger. Tee art symbolizes the cultural and social climates of our generation. Tees tell the story perfectly, and now more than ever, the t-shirt is becoming an even more individualistic mode of personal expression.

The custom t-shirt began during WWI when American troops noticed European soldiers wearing a comfortable and lightweight cotton t-shirt during the hot and humid European summer days. Compared to the wool uniforms that the American soldiers wore, these custom t-shirts were cooler and more comfortable and they quickly caught on with the Americans. Custom t-shirts were always inexpensive, in style, and could make any fashion statement you wanted. You could always count on seeing James Dean or The Fonz sporting a white T with rolled-up sleeves. It was the look of "cool" back then. And a sign of rebellious youth.

Many industry insiders believe the t-shirt started out as women's underwear. When Russell Manufacturing Company incorporated 100 years ago in 1902, the first finished product was ladies' undershirt, or summer weight vest. With eight knitting machines and twelve sewing machines, the mill's beginning capacity was 150 garments daily. By 1925, long underwear, sweaters, athletic shirts and ladies' bloomers were added to the production of ladies' vests, making a more complete product line from Russell. With the opening of a full-scale bleachery & finishing plant in 1932, Russell became one of the few textile facilities of its size in the world to have a completely vertical operation, including team apparel. This was the beginning of the Russell Athletic division's cutting and sewing operations. In the 1930s, the A-shirt, featuring a deep neck with no sleeves and over-the-shoulder straps, was well liked. And, short-sleeved cotton custom t-shirts with high necks were popular for men in the 30s, thanks to Hanes and Sears Roebuck. However, this was a t-shirt not to be seen. Although Clark Gable revealed a bare chest in "It Happened One Night," (1934) custom t shirts remained as an undergarment to be worn under a proper dress shirt or work shirt. In the late 30s, Sears introduced the 'gob' custom t-shirt for sailors costing .24 each. The marines followed suit with a sage green camouflage shirt that was appropriate for under or outerwear. In 1944, survey results of enlisted army recruits revealed men preferred sleeves over sleeveless because of the absorption under the arms, and a better appearance. The industry changed forever as WWII brought about the first printed custom t-shirts. The Smithsonian Institute boasts the oldest printed custom t-shirt on record, imprinted with the phrase "Dew-IT with Dewey" from New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey's 1948 presidential campaign.

Americans were shocked when celebrities revealed their underwear on the big screen and on national TV. In the early 1950s, Marlon Brando launched the plain white t shirt into cult status as 'outerwear-sexy' when his buff pecs and abs were revealed in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951).   By the mid 1950s, the T-shirt gave way to its rebellious rock-n-roll roots when James Dean donned a white one under a leather jacket in Rebel Without a Cause. Elvis Presley also helped launch the tee. During his military service, he appeared in publicity shots wearing custom t-shirts and later wore them in movies and on stage. The military seized the opportunity to use the shirt as a 'billboard' when it began stenciling rank and company on custom t shirts. However t-shirts were still portrayed as a men's garment until Walt Disney offered simple designs (often peelable) on custom t-shirts for souvenirs. When tie dying and screen printing soared in popularity in the 60s, the tee became one of the easiest and cheapest forms of clothing to buy and dye. Silk screens of flowers, peace signs, and message board for personal feelings, views and opinions. From "what's your sign?" to "have a nice day," the custom t shirt endorsed statements embedded in America's culture at that time.

During the late 60s and 70s, bands realized they could make a significant amount of money selling shirts with their names. Then professional sports caught on and the industry changed again. The new cotton and polyester blend also helped broaden the views of custom t-shirts - a wrinkle-free, soft, durable garment for everyday outerwear. Even as late as the 1980s, custom t shirts were controversial. Adding to the popularity of the custom t-shirt as a garment of defiance occurred in 1986. Political custom t-shirts in South Africa were banned as the struggle against apartheid increased.

Today's custom t-shirts continue to evolve with new styles, colors, piques, knits and new synthetic fabrics. "They are more fashionable than ever and can be made to look casual or dressy," explained Angela Church director of merchandising for JERZEES, a brand of Russell Artwear. "The trend in custom t-shirts is that they are becoming smaller, with a more tailored fit - particularly for women. Custom t shirts are showing up in corporate boardrooms and on the golf course." Today's custom t-shirt still represents a symbol for the wearer. It's become an American tradition for runners who finish the road race to receive the obligatory race custom t-shirt. T-shirts signify patriotism, display one's attitudes, feelings, product loyalty and political beliefs. Used by colleges, corporations, retailers, sports teams, civic groups, little leagues, school groups and bands, the custom t-shirt is a walking billboard for whatever product is being sold. T-shirts can be worn as underwear, pajamas and workout clothing. And many women have replaced the traditional blouse under a suit jacket with a nice custom t-shirt, indicating that t-shirts are becoming more acceptable in the workplace. "Register here and win a free custom t-shirt" can be heard at sporting events, carnivals, school registrations, malls, conventions, hotels and concerts. Custom t shirts are everywhere. Just ask your neighbors and friends how many t-shirts they own. The numbers are staggering. With the mainstreaming of casual wear in the corporate environment, high quality custom t-shirts are rising in popularity. Church cites several factors for the continued growth in decorated art wear:

An increasing number of businesses using embroidered or imprinted corporate logos on all types of shirts;

Consumer loyalty to sports teams, colleges/universities and recording stars;

Increasing numbers of custom t shirt giveaways for corporate promotions and contests.

To keep up with the increasing demand for custom t-shirts, quality, printability, durability and 100% combed ring-spun cotton have become the new standards. The combed ring-spun cotton makes the fabric softer and drape better than traditional cotton. As important as the softness factor for consumers, the combed ring-spun cotton saves screen printer's time with a better embellishment surface, a more opaque, durable surface from which to print and embroider, requiring less ink. Increased durability also increases the life of the garment. As the custom t-shirt continues to grow in popularity, so will the demand for a premium 100% cotton custom t-shirt. A JERZEES survey showed that weight, fabric thickness and a 'good product quality for wearers' are the most important attributes when choosing a brand of 100% cotton custom t-shirts.   Other interesting custom t-shirt factoids from a consumer study of T-shirts commissioned by JERZEES:

62% of Americans owned more than 10 custom t-shirts, totaling approximately 1.5 billion in closets across the country;

Comfort is the number one reason Americans love custom t shirts, followed by a 'Pleasant memory' of a person, place or occasion.

It's clear Americans love their custom t-shirts. And since anything can be printed on them, tees will continue to be an everlasting mode of expression.

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