The History of a White T-Shirt
The T-shirt is probably the most popular piece of clothing in the world. Its history dates back to the late 19th century, when workers wore one-piece union suits (jumpsuits) under their work clothes. These garments were also issued to the U.S. Army and Navy. Between 1890 and 1900, U.S. soldiers began cutting their union suits in half to stay cool in warm climates, which led to the early form of the T-shirt. In 1913, the U.S. Navy began issuing them as standard undershirts.
It wasn’t until 1920 that the word “T-shirt” was added to the English dictionary, after F. Scott Fitzgerald first used it in his novel This Side of Paradise. “So early in September Amory,” writes Fitzgerald, “provided with ‘six suits summer underwear, six suits winter underwear, one sweater or T-shirt, one jersey, one overcoat, winter, etc,’ set out for New England, the land of schools.”
U.S, Soldiers during WWII
During World War I and II, the T-shirt became standard issue for U.S. soldiers and was adopted as a practical, lightweight garment. After World War II, veterans returned home and continued to wear T-shirts casually, which helped them become widely accepted, but they were still almost exclusively worn underneath traditional clothes.
Workwear in 1930s: we can see shirts, t-shirts and tank tops
Marlon Brando and James Dean changed that. In 1950, Brando famously wore a white T-shirt as Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire, followed by James Dean in 1955's Rebel Without a Cause. Thanks to these two, the T-shirt became a symbol of youth, rebellion, and masculinity.
Marlon Brando in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’.
One of the first graphic t-shirts came from New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey’s presidential campaign, with his “Dew-it with Dewey” slogan. A few years later, a company called Tropix Togs obtained the license to print Disney characters on t-shirts. People began to realize that graphic t-shirts could make money, and in the 1960s, screen printing helped the t-shirt industry grow.
But it wasn’t until the 1970s that t-shirts became a powerful tool to send a message, mainly thanks to the punk movement. Rock band logos and protests against the Vietnam War helped make the t-shirt a platform for bold statements. The New York Times even called the graphic t-shirt “the medium for the message.”
Today, the t-shirt is an essential garment worn worldwide, and due to its ability to send a message, it is also the most commercialized piece of clothing.
I also made a list of the best quality white t-shirts available today.
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A White T-shirt's history dates back to the late 19th century. From military use to pop culture icons like Marlon Brando and James Dean, the T-shirt evolved into a symbol of rebellion and a commercial success.