You're History

[smg]

Hi Guys,

I'm a big Ripper fan from the U.K and have been for a long time. I've recently started up a small tshirt company with designs based on historical figures, just for fun really in my spare time. I've always wanted a ripper shirt, there doesnt seem to be many at all, and so my first design had to be good ol' Jack. My designer did a pretty amazing job capturing what I felt Ripper encaptured in me when I read about the history of the murders and the supects.


There's also a rasputin, cleopatra and rasputin shirt. Hope you like them if you decide to check them out.

http://www.weareallhistory.com

Thanks guys!

Stu

[lynn cates]

Jack

Hello SMG. Forgive me, but I'm not sure what it means to be a Jack the Ripper fan. Most of us here detest his deeds, if not him. It is not clear that he was "good ol' Jack."

No offense whatsoever is intended.

The best.
LC

[smg]

Hi Lynn,

I apologise, it wasn't made clear, I wouldn't call myself a "Fan" in the definition of the word, but I am interested in him/her as all you ripperologists and theorists are. For me, it is the mystery of Jack and the lack of evidence, false leads, time period and vast theories that make his/her story so interesting, after all, forums like these exist on the principle that everyone has an opinion of who it was, who can be classed as a Jack victim etc.

What I tried to do with my shirt was to try and capture all the various media that surrounds the mystery of Jack the Ripper. His deeds? Horrible, brutal, unforgiveable. But his mystery, story and legend? Undeniable.

I apologise if it doesn't appeal, and I haven't been trawling the internet for trying to pawn off my shirts to everyone, but I those who are interested in Jack, also like a graphic novel style drawing of Jack like myself and wear tshirts of said things and designs would maybe appreciate them! Plus christmas is coming, and people need ideas for their loved ones to buy them!

I'm sure people attended the london docklands Jack exhibiton as I did. What did everyone think?

Stu

[The Grave Maurice]

I don't know if I'd have the nerve to wear a JtR t-shirt. I think it would attract a lot of funny looks from the uninitiated. Even when I'm reading a new book about JtR in a public place, I tend to cover the bookjacket to avoid unwelcome conversations. And, another tip: if you ever have to cross a border to attend a JtR conference, tell the customs officer that you are on your way to a Victorian history seminar. It saves a lot of explaining.

[c.d.]

I didn't see anything that says "Jack the Ripper" on the shirt. Did I miss it?

c.d.

[Mike Covell]

I apologise, it wasn't made clear, I wouldn't call myself a "Fan" in the definition of the word, but I am interested in him/her as all you ripperologists and theorists are. For me, it is the mystery of Jack and the lack of evidence, false leads, time period and vast theories that make his/her story so interesting, after all, forums like these exist on the principle that everyone has an opinion of who it was, who can be classed as a Jack victim etc.

What I tried to do with my shirt was to try and capture all the various media that surrounds the mystery of Jack the Ripper. His deeds? Horrible, brutal, unforgiveable. But his mystery, story and legend? Undeniable.
Stu

So you stuck him in a mythical top hat with flowing cloak!

Hope Spry is getting some sort of financial deal out of this advertising?

[c.d.]

If you can't pick up chics wearing that shirt, the problem clearly lies with you.

c.d.

[smg]

Did I stick him in a mystical top hat? Is it the talking hat from harry potter?

Is Jack the Ripper a serial killer that killed women in 1888 and possibly the surrounding years? Oh yes.

Do some theories suggest he was a wealthy aristocrat? Yes.

Do photographs of the time period as well as a wealth of literature point to the wears of victorian wealthy men as wearing such items? Yes.

Have I pulled this vision of him from thin air? No. Is it a bit cliche? Maybe, but lets remember the evidence points peoples opinions in different directions. Noone is right here. Not even me.

Is it an artistic interpretation? Yes. The day the real jack the ripper knocks on my front door and says "Oi mate, I look nothing like that, so sort it." I'll be straight on here begging your forgiveness.

[Mike Covell]

Do eye witness accounts place him in a top hat? No

[lynn cates]

little love for JTR

Hello SMG. No need to apologise. I just want you to understand that you will find few Ripper lovers here.

Cheers.
LC

[Mascara & Paranoia]

I like the white Egyptian one best. xD

[Archaic]

And, another tip: if you ever have to cross a border to attend a JtR conference, tell the customs officer that you are on your way to a Victorian history seminar. It saves a lot of explaining.

LOL, I can just imagine the dreadful consequences of saying "I'm entering your country to attend a Jack the Ripper Serial Murders Convention"- oh, dear!

Did it really happen to you, GM?

Best regards, Archaic

By the way, I like the purple Cleopatra shirt and the biz name "You're History". Yes, we are all History.

[The Grave Maurice]

Did it really happen to you, GM?

Well, sort of. When I was going through customs on my way to the '06 Baltimore conference, it occurred to me that it might be unwise to be fully truthful about the purpose of my trip. So, as I say, I told the officer that I was going to attend a seminar on Victorian history in the Washington area. The guy smiled, waved me through, and said something like: "Enjoy your flight, professor."

In Baltimore, I was chatting with Rumbelow and Odell and one of them, I think Robin, said that he had told the customs officer exactly why he was travelling to the States and had been grilled at some length: "Interested in serial killers, are ya? Would you happen to be carrying any weapons? I suppose you wouldn't object to having your luggage searched?"

His story just confirmed my initial opinion that complete honesty is not always the best policy.

[tnb]

When registering for my reader's ticket at the National Archives in Kew (formerly the Public Records Office) I had to fill in 'area of primary interest for today's visit'. I thought '19th century social and police history' covered it pretty well!

I wonder if they have a list of 'Ripperologist euphemisms' on the wall in the staff room.


Seriously it is intriguing how certain murderers etc have passed into the public conciousness and become, to various extents, 'acceptable'. You can buy Charles Manson posters, if you know where to look (I have seen several at Camden market for example) and Mark David Chapman has been referenced in films, songs etc several times - even Jeffrey Dahmer seems to have developed a certain 'romance' around him in certain circles for reasons I simply cannot understand...going further back in history it is amazing how many 'safe' historical figures have an 'edge' to their history which seems to have been largely forgotten - thousands of undergraduates (at a guess) must have Che Guevara posters and tshirts (terrorist and mass executioner), Malcolm X was hardly the blameless revolutionary he is now perceived as (whatever the rightness of his cause), and when people describe 'Jack the Ripper' as the first serial killer they are perhaps forgetting historical figures such as Genghis Kahn, much less 'cuddly' than Omar Sharrif, who portrayed him in a 1965 film. Even Cleopatra, who as someone mentioned is featured on one of "You're History"s designs, had a hand in a number of brutal military campaigns and once ordered the death of her own sister.

However, it seems 'Jack' has not quite crossed that line yet - whether that is purely down to the brutality of his crimes, because we simply don't know who he was, or something else, I cannot surmise -and I for one personally feel that can only be a good thing.

The point of all this rambling is that I for one don't feel we can blame SMG too much for including 'Jack' in his company's list - when you step back, it is quite hard to see where or why the invisible line is drawn on any specific historical figure. One of the best things about this site is the constant reminder from almost all its members that these crimes were terrible, their victims were real and their lives both tragic, complex and fascinating; I would suggest you do some reading up while you are here SMG. If nothing else you may come to better understand the lack of enthusiasm you have found, but don't take it too personally.

On the plus side, I am with Archaic - as a Hollywood executive once said when a writer first began pitching him the idea for a film called 'Dirty Dancing', "that name alone is worth a million dollars". Ok, not quite a million dollars, but it is still an excellent monicker.

[The English Gardener]

"...when you step back, it is quite hard to see where or why the invisible line is drawn on any specific historical figure. One of the best things about this site is the constant reminder from almost all its members that these crimes were terrible, their victims were real and their lives both tragic, complex and fascinating; I would suggest you do some reading up while you are here SMG. If nothing else you may come to better understand the lack of enthusiasm you have found, but don't take it too personally...."

I think it should be borne in mind that, whether we call ourselves "Ripperologists" {and I'd never seek to place myself within that hallowed canon of people who really know what they're talking about} or whatever, we tend to be a bit protective of our good name. If you expect to be taken seriously it's probably best that you veer well away from any behaviours which might justify the label "crank"... a risk anyone interested in anything deemed "macabre" runs.
Personally I'd run a mile from anyone attempting to market JTR as a t-shirt logo, I think it's misguided and a just a little sick, but I'm aware that that has as much to do with my personal prejudices as anything else.
I reckon SMG has misjudged his market here, that's all. I've seen much more offensive stuff posted up than this.
And I'd recommend that he {she?} sticks around and learns a little more about the subject at hand.