New Oscar Wilde T-Shirt

We first became acquainted with Oscar Wilde in high school when the theater department put on a production of "The Importance of Being Earnest". This is a very witty play that commented on the hypocritical morality of the Victorian era. It premiered in London in 1895 and proved to be the beginning of the end for Oscar Wilde. Although it was a huge hit with audiences, it only ran for 83 performances because Wilde was soon involved in a public scandal concerning his homosexuality. He was convicted on charges of "gross indecency" and sentenced to two years of hard labor.

Oscar Wilde didn't write anymore plays although he did write "The Ballad of Reading Gaol" about his prison experience. After he was released in 1897, he moved to Paris where he spent his last few years before dying of cerebral meningitis in 1900.

We think of Oscar Wilde as a real non-conformist. He was not afraid to be true to himself in a time which had very oppressive views on behavior. And for that, we salute him.

Below is the design for our Oscar Wilde t-shirt. Head over to our Zazzle store, and you will also find a couple of humorous quotes by Oscar Wilde in our Literary Quotes section. Enjoy!