Throughout the history of photography there are certain photographs that have gained a position of importance that surmount other photographs. It is claimed that this happens because of the power of the reaction it elicits from its audience. Once these images claim their authority, they are used over and over as a surrogate for that experience. As a culture, we tend to go back to photographs when we want to know about our history and our past. These iconic images become explanations for the “that has been,” where we gain our knowledge of who we are and where we came from. Through the inherent reproducibility and repetition of these images they become instantly recognizable and familiar. They become deeply imbedded in the fabric of our culture.
Interestingly enough, graphic t-shirt makers seem to be the harbingers of a phenomenon where by using these iconic images on t-shirts, the fabric of our culture becomes literally the fabric that we wear. These iconic images seem almost ready for this kind of use due to their graphic nature. Iconic imagery throughout history is marked by simple lines and shapes without much extranious information. Thus, these images make perfect fodder for producing graphic t-shirts.
But what does it mean?
David Hickey, in his September 2000 Harper's Magazine article, A World Like Santa Barbara, asserts that, “Objects and events that were once instruments of meaning and value have become sites for adjudicating meaning and value: icons have become art; rituals have become dances; history has bred fiction; and clothing, fashion.”
...or in this case, icons have become fashion...
