70s R Crumb Cartoon Spoof Earl's Automotive t-shirt Medium

Chest 19 in.

Length 26.5 in.

Content: 50/50 Cotton/Polyester

Tag Brand: Jockey

This sweet vintage shirt was made in the 70s to advertise a local auto repair shop called Earl's Automotive in Westchester, Illinois. The front shows off a cartoon graphic that reads, "Rain Snow or Sleet, Earl's on the Street" while the back lists the business's address and phone number. Since the time of this shirt, Earl's was closed and its old location was converted into a residential home near the Westchester Park District.

The front of this t-shirt is notable thanks to its stylized cartoon graphic, which is a callback to the underground comix movement of the late 60s and 70s. The image is meant to be a parody of one of the most famous Zap Comix cartoons, Keep On Truckin', which was drawn by the iconic Robert Crumb.

R. Crumb founded Zap in 1968, and went on to become one of the most prolific illustrators of the latter half of the 20th century. His work was evocative of the anti-authoritarian counterculture started in the 60s, and he was known for bringing life to lewd characters like Fritz the Cat and Mr. Natural. Crumb later went on to found Weirdo in the 80s, which was one of the most prominent alternative comics publications of the time. This shirt replicates Crumb's distinctive style, and there's a good chance that the auto shop it advertises had a connection to Kustom Kulture, where wacky cartoon characters like this were commonplace.

Fits like a modern unisex adult medium. There are stains throughout, see pics.






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