[Political humor today from this guest writer. Want to trivialize tragedy through commerce? Never forget… to suggest your own patriotic t-shirt in the comments.]
Throughout history, enterprising men and woman have taken advantage of tragedy and despair to turn a quick denarius, pound, shilling and dollar. When tragedy struck, vendors of every age pulled out their screens, dusted off a few patriotic slogans and started printing t-shirts. And for some reason there were eagles on them.
The art of patriotic eagle t-shirt printing began in the last years of the Roman Republic, when vendors near the Capitol set up their tents and started selling black and white SPQR caps and these fashionable tunics.
More shirts through the ages after the jump.
After the fall of the western Roman empire, t-shirt printing was preserved only in Irish monasteries throughout most of the dark ages. A Celtic monk would work for years to illuminate a single patriotic t-shirt, but they imparted their wisdom to a number of royal ladies to commemorate and commercialize the Norman invasion. These ladies embroidered the famous Bayoux T-shirt.
Remember, remember!
The fifth of November,
The Gunpowder treason and plot;
I know of no reason
Why the Gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot!
King James I brought back the old traditions of screen printing to celebrate the execution of Guy Fawkes, who had utterly failed to blow up Parliament. The newly established East India T-Shirt Company established a triangle trade: American cotton was traded for printed t-shirts in London, which were traded for cheap pirate memorabilia in the Carribean, which was then traded for more cheap American cotton.
The British monarchy soon had reason to regret its promotion of the t-shirt trade. When British soldiers opened fire on American civilians in Boston, Paul Revere and his associate Tom Paine created a new and incredibly popular line of Common Sense t-shirts that helped finance the American Revolution.
In the late 20th century, t-shirt popularity exploded, creating a market for patriotic eagle t-shirts that would remind consumers of somewhat less significant things.
Never forget? Already forgotten? Sound off in the comments.