The Man Who Laughs T-Shirt | Gwynplaine Literary Tee
Exhibit Notes
A gothic literary T-shirt about the distance between the face a crowd sees and the person living behind it.
In Victor Hugo's 1869 novel The Man Who Laughs, Gwynplaine is mutilated as a child so that his face will wear a permanent grin. Audiences pay to laugh at the wound; only Dea, who cannot see it, knows the man. When Gwynplaine's stolen title is restored and he speaks before the powerful about poverty and suffering, the room laughs again. This design holds on to the human being the spectacle tried to erase.
The artwork
A stark portrait of Gwynplaine is set above the words The smile hid the man, with the novel's name and 1869 beneath. The monochrome, weathered treatment recalls an old theatre bill or archive photograph. More than a gothic novel shirt, it is a graphic about identity, class, cruelty and the cost of being reduced to an image.
Soft-washed heavyweight cotton
- Comfort Colors® 1717 garment-dyed unisex T-shirt
- Heavyweight 6.1 oz/yd² (206.8 g/m²) fabric
- Pre-shrunk 100% ring-spun US cotton
- Relaxed fit with a classic crew neck
- Seamless tubular body with durable double-needle stitching
- Sewn-in label; available colors and sizes are shown above
Made for
Readers of Victor Hugo, gothic literature collectors, silent-film enthusiasts, dark-academia wardrobes and anyone looking for an unusual classic-book gift.
Care
Machine wash cold (maximum 30°C / 90°F). Do not bleach. Tumble dry on low heat. Iron, steam or dry on low heat. Do not dry clean.
SepiaLore archive no. 009 — The Smile Was Not His.
EU representative: HONSON VENTURES LIMITED, gpsr@honsonventures.com, 3, Gnaftis House flat 102, Limassol, Mesa Geitonia, 4003, CY
Product information: Comfort Colors® 1717, 2-year warranty in the EU and Northern Ireland as per Directive 1999/44/EC
Warnings / hazard information: Made in Honduras
$33.99