1868 Cincinnati (Red Stockings)

This rendering is based on visual documentation for uniform style and written documentation for color. Minor details may be undocumented or difficult to determine. An educated guess is made to complete the rendering.

Rendering accuracy:Year: documented    Team: documented

Visual documentation on this uniform:

Photo A

Dated 1868. Date determined by appearance of players Hatfield, King and Howe, all of whom only played for Cincinnati in 1868. The players were photographed outdoors on their home baseball field wearing a white uniform with a dark belt and stockings. Two of the players wore white shoes, the remaining players wore dark-colored shoes. Newspaper reports from 1868 described the stocking color as red and the team nickname, famously, was the Red Stockings.

Top row, from left: A Brainard (68-70), W Johnson (67, 68), J Hatfield (68), R King (68) and C Howe (68). Front: H Wright (66-70), F Waterman (68-70), C Gould (68-70) and M Grant (67, 68). Player IDs from photo B. Years with team from wikipedia. Original photo by Leon Van Loo, Cincinnati. Info on where photo was taken from Harry Ellard, Base Ball in Cincinnati: A History (1907).

Dated 1868. Detail view of photo A. Detail view shows an old-English capital “C” positioned on the shirt front and two front-facing belt loops on the pants. Note the truncated brim on the cap.

Dated 1868. Two identical detail views of photo A that suggest the shirt had a bib front. A red line has been drawn on the image at right to accentuate the lower edge of the bib.

Dated 1868. Another detail view of photo A. Detail view shows dark trim on the leading edge of the bill of the cap. The dark trim, most likely red in color, continued around the base of the white cap.

Photo B

Dated 1868. This is the same image as shown in photo A, however a visual of a grandstand has been added to the background. The grandstand depicted was Union Grounds, the team’s ballpark in Cincinnati, which included an elaborate center section of seating called the “Grand Duchess.” The identification of players was handwritten on this photo. Union Grounds identification and info from cincinnati.reds.mlb.com, retrieved online June 28, 2017.

Photo C

Dated 1868. Portrait of R King (68). Full view at left, detail view at right. Photo date determined by fact that King only played with Cincinnati in 1868. Player wore the same uniform in this photo as shown in photo A, with the exception that King wore a long-sleeved shirt in this photo and a short-sleeved shirt in photo A. Detail view at right shows that the early knickers for the Cincinnati team were wide in cut and extended further past the knee when compared to the pants worn by players in subsequent years. Image from Harry Ellard, Base Ball in Cincinnati: A History (1907).

Photo D

Dated 1868. Team photo of the Cincinnati junior team, dressed in uniform similar to the adult club. Image from Harry Ellard, Base Ball in Cincinnati: A History (1907).

Dated 1868. Detail view of photo D. Detail view showed that the junior team wore a shirt with a bib-front.

Photos E & F

Dated circa 1868. Two studio images of players from the Cincinnati junior team. At left, S Holmes, and at right, G Draper. Player IDs based on photo D. These photos may have been made at the same time as photo D. Images from the New York Public Library.

Written documentation on this uniform:
April 1868: “The Cincinnati players have adopted the knickerbocker dress of the Young America Cricket Club.” From American Chronicle Of Sports And Pastimes, April 16, 1868. Research supplied by Richard Hershberger.

May 6, 1868, Cincinnati v. Great Western, at Cincinnati, Union Grounds: “[Great Western] fought pluckily throughout the game, keeping the score of the Red Stockings down to 41.” From the Cincinnati Enquirer, May 7, 1868. This may be the first use of the Red Stocking nickname in 1868.

September 1868: “Red Stockings.—The Cincinnati Club arrived in Washington last night and will play the Nationals today [September 24, 1868]—the Olympics tomorrow.” From the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, September 24, 1868. This entry was one of the first mentions by the Daily Eagle of the team’s nickname and stocking color.

September 28, 1868, Cincinnati v. Athletic, Philadelphia, at Philadelphia: “The Cincinnatis […] wear a very neat and tasty uniform of white flannel, with the letter ‘C’ on the breast of their shirts. Their pants are what is generally known as ‘knickerbockers’ with red stockings.” From Philadelphia Sunday Mercury, October 4, 1868. Research supplied by Richard Hershberger.

October 1, 1868, Cincinnati v. Atlantic, Brooklyn, at Brooklyn, Union Grounds: “At three o’clock the game was commenced with the Atlantics at the bat. The spectators saw the reason, when the Cincinnatis took the field, why they were called the ‘Red Stockings,’ and their uniform received many complimentary comments. It is of white flannel trimmed with red, a red belt and stockings, the pants being fastened at the knee.” From the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, October 2, 1868. Note, this game was recorded, presumably in error, as taking place on October 3, 1868, by Marshall D. Wright, The National Association of Base Ball Players, 1857-1870, (2000).

October 1, 1868, Cincinnati v. Atlantic, Brooklyn, at Brooklyn, Union Grounds: “The Cincinnatis have a unique but becoming uniform, consisting of white caps and shirts trimmed with blue, white knee breeches, scarlet stockings and the regulation shoes. Their appearance in this dress on the field is very fine, and not at all ridiculous, although the mere mention of knee breeches is sufficient to make a regular ‘ballist’ smile. The Cincinnati boys and their uniform must, however, be seen to be appreciated.” From the New York Evening Telegram, October 2, 1868. Research from Ed Morton. Note that this report described the trim on the caps and shirts as being blue in color. Possibly this was a reporting error. This game was recorded, presumably in error, as taking place on October 3, 1868, by Marshall D. Wright, The National Association of Base Ball Players, 1857-1870, (2000).

Who was the originator of the red stocking uniform?
Both Harry Wright, Cincinnati player/manager from 1866 to 1870, and George Ellard, Cincinnati player in 1866 and 1867, have been connected to the origination story of the Cincinnati uniform, which famously featured short pants and exposed red stockings in 1867, and added a red “C” on the chest in 1868. See the 1867 Cincinnati page for written documentation of the earliest claims made for each.

Team genealogy: Cincinnati 1866-1870
The Cincinnati club was formed in 1866 and was one of the first to use a city name as a team name. Their Red Stocking nickname derived from when the team first wore red stockings and knickers during the 1867 season. Cincinnati ushered in the era of professionalism as one of the first openly salaried teams and an undefeated season in 1869. Despite the team’s success, Cincinnati dissolved due to financial reasons after the 1870 season. Information from David Ball, Peter Morris and others, Base Ball Pioneers, 1850-1870 (2012).