Stamp out Homophobia T-Shirt

With few copyright protections, Tom of Finland’s images were frequently pirated. In response, the artist established the Tom of Finland Company in 1979 to protect his rights and publish his work. The company produced a wide range of associated merchandise, including T-shirts, rubber stamps and sex toys. This T-shirt – available in three colours – features a graphically striking advert for rubber stamps and bears the slogan ‘Let ‘em know we’re everywhere!’ Tom of Finland’s pioneering depictions of homosexual machismo in his images of bikers, soldiers, cowboys, sailors and labourers broadly represent queer, leather and muscle communities. A master draughtsman, his works gave form to an imaginative universe that, in turn, helped fuel real-world liberation movements and had a significant influence on a wide range of cultural figures, including the Village People, Freddie Mercury, Jean Paul Gaultier and Robert Mapplethorpe.