1856 Gotham, New York (Gothams)

This rendering is based on visual documentation for uniform style only. Color information is unknown and the uniform is rendered in values of gray. Other important details may also be undocumented or difficult to determine and an artist’s conceptualization is used to complete the rendering.

Rendering accuracy:Year: unconfirmed though probable    Team: documented

Visual documentation on this uniform:

Photo A

Dated late 1856. A panoramic photo of the Gotham club of New York, made from two separate photos. Photo date of “late 1856” suggested by historian Tom Shieber who has determined that “only two box scores are known in which the Gotham lineup exactly matches the players pictured [in photo A]. Both games took place in October 1856. Thus, the photo was probably taken at the end of the 1856 season, or in the off-season that followed.” Photo date may also be confirmed by appearance of player McCosker who was noted on the reverse of one version of this photo to have first played for Gotham in “late summer 1856.” Photo date may also be confirmed by appearance of player Burns who last played with Gotham in 1856 or possibly early 1857. Burns died in September 1857 with the sinking of the SS Central America and a newspaper at this time stated that Burns “had been in California about a year.” One version of photo A had been incorrectly hand-dated as 1850 and incorrectly labeled as “Famous Atlantic Base Ball Club of Brooklyn.” This mislabeled version was printed in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle on February 11, 1931. Player IDs confirm this photo was a picture of the Gotham team. This image had also been hand-dated 1855 and subsequently dated in print as 1856. It is likely the 1856 date is most accurate. Players wore a coat with a broad collar in this photo. Players wore their coats in a variety of styles, from untucked and unbuttoned to tucked-in and partially buttoned. Many players wore their coat splayed wide open at the top, displaying large lapels that also included the letter “G” embroidered upon each collar point. See detail views of photo C below for more on these varying styles.

Players in photo, from left: T G Van Cott (52?-60), W Burns (55-57?), (W H Van Cott, president), J McCosker (56-60), O Teed (player may have been A Teed, 56, 57), P Sheridan (54, 58, also umpire in 58), R Cudlipp (53-58), (G Van Cott, umpire), W Vail or I Vail (53-58), (H Platt, 54, team score keeper after 54), R Winslow (53?-57) and C Commerford (54-57). Player IDs from a version of this image located at the Brooklyn Public Library, see photos B and C. Years players with team from Peter Morris and John Thorn, Base Ball Founders (2013), from Marshall D. Wright, The National Association Of Base Ball Players, 1857-1870 (2000), and from information found on the back of one version of photo. Player info from back of photo and Gotham box score research from Tom Shieber as printed in the SABR publication, The National Pastime #17 (1997). Burns death info from Base Ball Founders, citing the New York Daily Tribune, September 21, 1857.

Photo B

Dated late 1856 and published February 11, 1931. This is the same image as photo A, published in a newspaper over 74 years after the original was made. In this version the background behind the players had been removed. The newspaper also printed a photo caption that included player identities and their respective positions on the field. The headline above the photo (not shown) incorrectly labeled this team as the “Famous Atlantic Base Ball Club of Brooklyn.” Player identities confirm this was a photo of the Gotham club, not the Atlantic club. Image published in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, February 11, 1931. Photo B is a scan of the original newspaper clipping provided to Threads by Alice Van Cott. The team photo was published again by the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, again with no background but with additional enhancements, on April 8, 1934, under the headline “Brooklyn’s Sartorial League Leaders of 1855.” In this second printing, the newspaper misidentified the year as 1855 and the team (again) as Atlantic. It is likely both printings were made from the version of this image at the Brooklyn Public Library, see photo C.

Photo C

Dated late 1856 and published in 1997. This version of the photo was published in The National Pastime #17 (SABR, 1997). Historian Tom Shieber adds that this image was “buried in the files of the Brooklyn Collection at the Brooklyn Public Library [and] is a copy, the original nowhere to be found.”

Photo D

Dated late 1856. The image shown here is a montage of two versions of the same photo. One version of the image included the studio background but the image resolution was poor. The second version was of better quality but the background had been previously removed. These two images were combined by Threads in 2017 in an attempt to better show how the original image looked.

Dated late 1856. Detail view of photo C. Detail view shows that players wore their coats in varying styles.:
–Player at far left above (Van Cott, pitcher) wore his coat unbuttoned and untucked. This may be a style worn frequently by pitchers.
–Player second from left (Burns, catcher) wore his coat tucked-in and partially buttoned so that the lapels of the coat were splayed wide open to cover his shoulders.
–Player third from left (McCosker, 3rd base) wore his coat untucked and partially buttoned. Note that McCosker wore his belt on top of his untucked coat.

Dated late 1856. Another detail view of photo C. Detail view shows that players wore their coats in varying styles:
–Player at left  above (Teed, shortstop) wore his coat tucked-in and partially buttoned with the lapels splayed wide open.
–Player in middle (Sheridan, left field) wore his coat tucked-in and partially buttoned with the lapels splayed wide open. The decorative trim of a pocket can also be seen on the coat. Additionally, Sheridan wore a long cord or braid in this photo that hung around his neck and fell down over the front of his coat. Presumably, this was a decorative or commemorative element, though unconfirmed.
–Player at right (Cudlip, second base) wore his coat tucked-in and buttoned up to the collar. One coat button was left unfastened so that Cudlip could potentially slide his hand inside his coat. See info on the “hand-in-coat” gesture in the next detail view below.

Dated late 1856. Another detail view of photo C. Detail view shows that players wore their coats in varying styles:
–Player at left above (Vail, first base) wore his coat buttoned only at the collar and with the remainder of his coat unbuttoned and untucked. It is possible Vail did not wear a belt in this photo.
–Player in middle (Winslow, center field) wore his coat tucked-in and buttoned, except where the player had slid his hand inside his coat. This “hand-in-coat” gesture was common in 18th- and 19th-century portraiture. The pose was often associated with portraits of Napoleon I of France (1759-1821) and was meant to convey calm, firm leadership. Hand-in-coat info from wikipedia.
–Player at right (Commerford, left field) wore his coat untucked and buttoned. Commerford wore his belt on top of his untucked coat. He also wore his cap in an unusual configuration upon his head.

Dated late 1856. Another detail view of photo C. Detail view shows an embroidered letter “G” (for Gotham) on each collar point. The color and material of this letter most likely matched the trim work on the entire coat.

Photo D

Dated November 4, 1865. T G Van Cott (52?-60). From Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, November 4, 1865. Engraving made from Gotham team photo above, see player in photo A at far left.

Written documentation for this uniform:
None

Team Genealogy: Gotham, New York, 1849?-1870?
Gotham was formed in New York, NY, roughly during the period of 1849-1852. Gotham was organized from earlier incarnations of a club that went by various names, including New York, Washington, and also Gotham. The new Gotham club played until the era of open professionalism in 1869, choosing to remain amateur. They played their last competitive games about 1870. Info from Peter Morris and John Thorn, Base Ball Founders (2013).