This post may include affiliate links.
The T-shirt is one of the most basic staples in our wardrobes. You can find one in classic white or black, or in almost any other color you can imagine, from forest green to cerulean blue. There are band tees, shirts covered in sparkly embellishments, and simple designs with nothing on them at all.
Some feel light and soft, while others are thick and structured. You can pick one up for a few dollars or spend several hundred on a designer version. Yet for all the variety we have today, the T-shirt is actually a fairly new addition to fashion history.
According to Printful, the modern T-shirt can be traced back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. At first, it was mainly worn under a uniform to protect the skin. The first manufactured versions appeared around the time of the Spanish-American War.
Then, in 1913, US Navy regulations officially introduced a white cotton undershirt with short sleeves, a crew neck, and no buttons. It was practical because it dried quickly and felt more comfortable in hot weather.
Sailors soon started ditching their uniform jackets and wearing the undershirts on their own while working on submarines or in hot climates. This was an important change, as the T-shirt slowly made its way out from under the uniform and became something people wore for everyone to see.
The name took a little longer to catch on. F. Scott Fitzgerald is believed to have been the first author to use the term “T-shirt” in print, including it in his 1920 novel, This Side of Paradise.
During the 1930s, T-shirts began spreading beyond the military. Miners, farm workers, and other laborers adopted them because they were affordable and easy to wash. They were also comfortable enough for physical work.
By the time of the Great Depression, they had become a common choice for farm and ranch chores. In 1938, Sears helped bring the T-shirt into everyday fashion by selling white cotton versions for 24 cents and advertising them as both undershirts and outershirts.
It was only a matter of time before people started adding words and images. One early example appeared in The Wizard of Oz in 1939, where workers in Oz briefly wore bright green shirts printed with the word “OZ.”
Around the same period, soldiers were also decorating their own shirts. According to the news and education website Heddels, servicemen used paint and stencils to add unit names, ship references, and custom logos.
These military designs started reaching a much wider audience during World War II. According to Heddels, a 1942 cover of Life magazine featuring a soldier in a T-shirt with a small illustrated logo became especially popular and helped introduce graphic tees to the wider public.
At the time, most designs were still painted by hand or produced in small batches. Mass-produced graphic tees were still a little way off.
