The Art of Blue Jeans and T-Shirts

Monday 04th of October 2010 07:00:23 PM

The Art of Blue Jeans and T-Shirts

Ever wonder where “blue jeans and t-shirts” came from? It’s become a classic outfit worn around the world. Just about any country you visit, it’s blue jeans and t-shirts you regularly find people wearing.

Recently art historians reported they believe they found the earliest record of blue jeans in a set of 17th century paintings. Well, the clothing is not exactly blue jeans. It’s the fabric in the paintings that has caught the eyes of historians. Indigo blue fabric with white thread is in the skirts worn by peasant woman and the clothing of children.

The painter is called the “Master of the Blue Jeans” because the indigo blue fabric appears in every painting except for one. He is an Italian painter and there are 10 paintings attributed to him. The paintings are especially noteworthy because they are of ordinary workers and not royalty or nobility.

In the U.S. like to people believe blue jeans were invented by Levi Strauss. But historians have traced the history of blue jeans back as early as 1655 in Europe. The two places recognized as the beginnings of blue jeans are Nimes, France and Genoa in Italy. And so you have “de Nimes” becoming “denim” and Genoa in Italian translated to “Genes” in France and then to “Jeans” in English speaking countries. The Italian paintings show workers wearing clothing made of heavy fabric and often ripped. Ripped jeans today are considered fashionable but back then clothes were worn until they became shreds in order to save money.

What makes the 17th century paintings so important is that they provide documentary proof the indigo blue fabric was actually used in clothing in the 17th century. Those jean material clothes of yesterday have become stylish blue jeans of today. There are no white t-shirts in the 17th century paintings. On the other hand, who knows what historians may find one day. Look how long it has taken them to prove jeans have been around for centuries.