T-shirts in a Museum

Sunday 04th of February 2007 07:03:32 PM

T-shirts in a Museum

Jim O’Bryan, the owner of a graphics design firm in Lakewood, Illinois, USA, is also the curator of a t-shirt museum. The museum is home to thousands of T-Shirts, but the museum is not located in a building, it is online for everyone to view. Due to their server size, it can take awhile to view all of the T-Shirts, but it is worth it to see vintage, and one of a kind shirts from the past.

In order to be entered in the t-shirt museum, pictures are sent to O’Bryan and his team for evaluation. The shirts that are entered onto the site range from old concert shirts, shirts with unique designs, and of course, shirts with slogans, and sayings. Shirts do not have to be nice in order to get into the museum either. Each shirt is evaluated on its own merits.

O’Bryan said of letting in Tees that contain offensive material, “This has been one of the things we discussed. We sit down and we look at them. It's tough. There should be freedom of expression. . . . Who am I to say it shouldn't be in, right?”

T-Shirts do have to be made of cotton in order to be included into the collection, however. Even though some cotton blends will be accepted, only shirts that are truly t-shirts are allowed.

Even though there have been no plans made to build an actual t-shirt museum, O’Bryan said that he wishes there could be. Since the museum is a hobby of O’Bryan’s, it does not generate a profit. People can look at the T-Shirts whenever they want.

When asked when people will stop wearing T-Shirts, O’Bryan replied, “People buy T-shirts on things they love, concerts they've gone to, places they've gone, bars they've hit. People buy T-shirts as souvenirs, and souvenirs always frame a moment in life. It's an easy way to recapture that feel and remember those moments. They become emotionally embedded in the tapestry of our lives. This is why it's so hard for people to give them up.”