Editing T-shirt (section)

==History==
[[File:Ww2-oiler-Arnold-R-Fesser.jpg|thumb|upright|[[United States Merchant Marine|US Merchant Marine]] sailor in 1944]]

Simple, T-shaped top garments have been a part of human clothing since ancient times; garments similar to the T-shirt worn earlier in history are generally called [[tunic]]s.

The modern T-shirt evolved from [[undergarment]]s used in the 19th century. First, the one-piece ''[[union suit]]'' underwear was cut into separate top and bottom garments, with the top long enough to tuck under the waistband of the bottoms. With and without buttons, they were adopted by [[miners]] and [[stevedores]] during the late 19th century as a convenient covering for hot environments.

In 1913, the U.S. Navy first issued them as undergarments.<ref name="tshirtspotlight.com">{{cite web|url=http://tshirtspotlight.com/history-of-the-t-Shirt/|title=History of the T-shirt.|work=Tee Fetch|access-date=2014-04-15|archive-date=2019-01-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190107014747/http://www.teefetch.com/history-of-the-t-Shirt/|url-status=dead}}</ref> These were a [[crew-necked]], short-sleeved, white cotton undershirt to be worn under a [[uniform]]. It became common for sailors and Marines in work parties, the early submarines, and tropical climates to remove their uniform jacket, thus wearing (and soiling) only the undershirt.<ref name="Harris">{{cite book |last=Harris |first=Alice |year=1996 |title=The White T |publisher=HarperCollins.</ref>{{page needed |date=May 2025}} They soon became popular as a bottom layer of clothing for workers in various industries, including agriculture. The T-shirt was easily fitted, easily cleaned, and inexpensive; for these reasons, it became the shirt of choice for young boys. Boys' shirts were made in various colors and patterns. The word ''T-shirt'' became part of American English by the 1920s, and appeared in the ''[[Merriam-Webster Dictionary]]''.<ref name="tshirtspotlight.com" />

[[File:Marlon Brando in 'Streetcar named Desire' trailer.jpg|left|thumb|Marlon Brando in the [[Trailer (promotion)|trailer]] for [[A Streetcar Named Desire (1951 film)|''A Streetcar named Desire'']]]]

By the [[Great Depression]], the T-shirt was often the default garment to be worn when doing farm or ranch chores, as well as other times when modesty called for a torso covering but conditions called for lightweight fabrics.<ref name="Harris" />{{page needed |date=May 2025}} Following [[World War II]], it was worn by Navy men as undergarments; gradually, veterans could be seen wearing their uniform trousers with their T-shirts as casual clothing. The shirts became even more popular in the 1950s after [[Marlon Brando]] wore one in ''[[A Streetcar Named Desire (1951 film)|A Streetcar Named Desire]]'', and they finally achieved status as fashionable, stand-alone, outerwear garments.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.filmsite.org/stre.html |title=A Streetcar Named Desire |publisher=AMC filmsite |date=1947-12-03 |access-date=2010-10-26}}</ref> Often boys wore them while doing chores and playing outside, eventually opening up the idea of wearing them as general-purpose casual clothing.

Printed T-shirts were in limited use by 1942 when an [[United States Army Air Corps|Air Corps]] Gunnery School T-shirt appeared on the cover of ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'' magazine.<ref>{{cite magazine |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=13 Jul 1942 |title=Aerial Gunners |url={{Google books|3E0EAAAAMBAJ|plainurl=yes}} |magazine=Life |publisher=Time Inc |volume=13 |number=2 |access-date=23 June 2022 |via=Google Books}}</ref> In the 1960s, printed T-shirts gained popularity for self-expression as well as for advertisements, protests, and souvenirs.

Current versions are available in many different designs and fabrics, and styles include crew-neck and V-neck shirts. T-shirts are among the most worn garments of clothing used today. T-shirts are especially popular with branding for companies or merchandise, as they are inexpensive to make and purchase.