1859 Atlantic, Brooklyn (Atlantics)
This rendering is based on visual documentation for uniform style only. An educated guess is made on uniform color based on documentation from a related year. Minor details may also be missing or difficult to determine.
Rendering accuracy:Year: unconfirmed Team: documented
Let’s “facetime” with the 1859 Atlantics.
Many may know the rare carte de visite shown below. It is of the Atlantic club from Brooklyn, and one of baseball’s first team pictures, predating the Civil War. Many may also know the names and bios of those who played for this famous team, and subsequently were included in this picture.
But the question lingers, exactly who was who?
Photo A
We can identify Pete O’Brien, standing far right, and Pearce and Smith, also in the top row. But, what about the remaining?
Thankfully, the Brooklyn Daily Times on February 27, 1909, helps us match all of the names to the faces. I’m sharing this information because these visual identities do not seem to be readily known or widely distributed amongst baseball historians. In addition, confirming these player identities gives us a slightly sharper date for the image itself.
So here they are, the (circa) 1859 Atlantics. Come face-to-face with this early, important team.
As mentioned above, the Brooklyn Daily Times, on February 27, 1909, provided the necessary identities, roughly fifty years after the image was made. The newspaper published a reprint of this photo on this day with the caption “The Original Players of the Atlantic Baseball Club.” The Daily Times also included the following description: “The photograph, representing the ten original members of the Atlantic Baseball Club, with Caleb Sniffin [correct spelling Sniffen], one of the members of the ‘Fat Men’s’ Atlantic club adjunct. [The] group, from which the cut here presented was made, is yellow with age and is said to be the only picture extant of the band of old time Brooklynites. […] Joseph Quigley, who played with the Atlantics in after years, prizes this photograph beyond value. […] ‘Dickey’ Pearce in the picture stands next to Sniffin and following in the top row are John Oliver, Charlie Smith, Archie McMahon and Pete O’Brien. The four in the second row [i.e., the front row, not counting Sniffen far left], from right to left, are Tony Tassic [correct name, Thomas Tassie], who used to keep a millinery store on Fulton street, near Flatbush avenue; Jack Prince[sp], who was a milk dealer in the neighborhood of Nostrand avenue and Stockton street; Tice Hamilton and ‘Mattie’ O’Brien. ‘Pop’ Boerum, of the old Brooklyn Boerum family, who was born and lived until his death about five years ago in the big house at the southeast corner of Nostrand and Vernon avenues, is sitting in the front of the picture. The photograph was taken by a Brooklyn pioneer photographer, in the early fifties.”
Dating the image. The “early fifties” date reported by the Daily Times can be disproven by the information presented on this page. Instead, the photo can be dated as 1858 or 1859, more likely 1859. The date range can be determined by the appearance of player John Oliver, the second baseman, standing second from left in photo A. Oliver did not join the Atlantic team until the 1858 season. The other men in the photo had joined the starting nine earlier, in 1856 and 1857. The club was formed in Brooklyn in late 1854. A date of 1860 can likely be eliminated by the non-appearance of John’s bother, Joe Oliver, who joined the Atlantics as an outfielder for the 1860 season. A photo date of 1861 or later can be eliminated as records indicated that two players in this photo, McMahon and Hamilton, did not play regularly for the team after the 1860 season. A circa 1860 date was given for this photo by Steven Wong, Smithsonian Baseball (2005), who credited the photo as from the collection of Corey R. Shanus.
A second print of this photo went up for auction in July 2015. In presenting the item, the auction house showed that a newspaper clipping had been attached to the back of the card. The clipping read, in part: “S.C.S., Brooklyn. — The members of the Atlantic nine who played in a majority of games during the season of 1859 were: Boerum, catcher; M. O’Brien, pitcher; Price, Oliver and Smith, on the bases; Pearce, short; and Hamilton, P. O’Brien and McMahon, in the outfield. Webber, Phelps, Connor, Hawkhurst and Seinsoth also participated in one or more games that year.” The clipping did not specifically identify any of the players in the photo. The 1859 reference may suggest the owner of the image believed it depicted the 1859 team. The auction house described the image as “a photograph mounted on a 2.5-inch by 4-inch cardboard” and that “the card’s provenance can be traced to a 1923 obituary of [Archie] McMahon’s 92-year-old brother.” It noted that McMahon’s brother, John McMahon, “was an ardent baseball fan and had [this] picture in his home.”
Could these guys really play?
I was curious to learn more about each Atlantic as a baseball player. Could they play? What was their skill set? I wondered how each was remembered at the time of his death — were their days in baseball forgotten decades later? Below are a few tidbits from obituaries published in Brooklyn newspapers. Years each played for the Atlantic team are shown in parentheses.
—Martin A. (Mattie) O’Brien, pitcher (57-62), died October 20, 1865.
“He was the famous pitcher of the Atlantic club for over five years, officiating in two of the great Fashion Course games, and in the noted Excelsior encounters. He was always counted a superior pitcher, and an admirable watcher of bases, and withal a gentlemanly and valuable player.” From the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, October 23, 1865.
—John G. Price, first base (56-61), died March 2, 1921.
“The last surviving member of the old Atlantic baseball Club that brought fame to themselves and to Brooklyn.” From the Brooklyn Standard Union, March 3, 1921.
—John B. Oliver, second base (58-62), died October 13, 1869.
“John Oliver was the most graceful player the Atlantics ever had, and in his best days was a model second-base player.” From the Brooklyn Union, October 14, 1869.
—Richard J. (Dickey) Pearce, shortstop (56-70, 73, 74), died September 18, 1908.
“Pearce was very popular with the old-time lovers of the game and was undoubtedly the greatest shortstop of his day. He was one of the old Atlantics of Brooklyn. […] He was the first man to introduce the bunt hit and was very successful in its use.” From the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, October 13, 1908.
—Charles J. Smith, third base (57-70), died November 15, 1897.
“Up to the day that he died, Charlie Smith’s crooked fingers bore eloquent testimony to many a hot grounder that he had gathered in and many a foul ball fly that he had nipped. He was practically invincible in his position at third.” From the Brooklyn Daily Times, November 18, 1897.
“Smith was regarded as the premier third baseman. He had a quick eye, fearlessly faced the swiftly batted balls, which then contained much more rubber than those now in use [in 1897], and captured difficult fly balls in a graceful manner. He was also a remarkably accurate thrower, a splendid batsman and a dashing base runner. The late Harry Wright said once in speaking about Charlie Smith: ‘undoubtedly, he was the king of third baseman.’” From the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, November 28, 1897.
—Folkert R. Boerum, catcher (56-61), died November 13, 1903.
“He was at one time a member of the old Atlantic baseball team.” From the Brooklyn Times Union, November 15, 1903.
—S. Tyson (Tice) Hamilton, outfield (57-60), died October 17, 1903.
“He was a renowned athlete in his boyhood days, and when baseball was in its infancy. He was a member of the old Atlantic team of this city. The deceased never lost interest in the national game and was always on hand to root for the local ball nine.” From the Brooklyn Daily Times, October 20, 1903.
—Archibald McMahon, outfield (57-60), died February 3, 1869.
McMahon died in San Francisco. The San Francisco Chronicle on February 4 said only that the deceased was “a native of New York.” No mention of his death has been found in Brooklyn newspapers.
—Peter O’Brien, outfield (57-65) died October 9, 1874.
“The deceased was one of the oldest baseball players in the country and was well known as one of the original founders of the Atlantic club.” From the Brooklyn Union, October 10, 1874.
Years with team from Peter Morris and others, Base Ball Founders (2013), Marshall D. Wright, The National Association Of Base Ball Players, 1857-1870 (2000) and Paul Batesel, Players And Teams Of The National Association, 1871-1875 (2012). The two club officers shown in photo A were, at left, Caleb Sniffen, vice-president (55) and president (56); and at right, Thomas Tassie, president (57, 58, 60, 69). The original photo was most likely made by John Farach of Farach & Lalumia, 336 Fulton St., Brooklyn. The Farach & Lalumia imprint was on the back of the photo mount when the image was sold at auction in 2015. News of this auction was published in newspapers across the US in early July 2015 via an Associated Press story by Ula Ilnytzky. A big thank you to Carson Lorey for supplying the 1909 Brooklyn Daily Times report. Thanks to John Thorn for the correct name of Thomas Tassie.
About the uniform.
Dated as 1858 or 1859, more likely 1859. Detail view of photo A. Players wore a white shirt with a bib in photo A. The bib had six dark buttons and light colored trim along the edge. In the center of the bib were the letters “ABBC” and a graphic of a ball and two crossed bats. Not all of the shirt bibs were exactly the same, indicating that some uniforms may have been made at different times. The player seated at left in this detail view had a much narrower bib when compared to the other players in the photo. The pants were of a mid-tone color and the belt varied from player to player. At least one player, standing at right in this detail view, had the team’s initials, A.B.B.C., displayed on the front of his belt. The traditional uniform for the Atlantic team, as reported in 1866, was “light blue pants [and] white flannel shirt.”
Dated as 1858 or 1859, more likely 1859. Another detail view of photo A. This detail view showed the team’s cap in the foreground. The soft-bodied cap was white in color with dark stripes running front to back.
Written documentation on this uniform:
Years prior to 1866: “[The Atlantic] uniform consists of light blue pants, white flannel shirt, red and white caps.” From Charles A. Peverelly, The Book Of American Pastimes (1866). This description from 1866 may be referencing the team’s uniform, in general, since the club’s inception in 1854.
Team genealogy: Atlantic, Brooklyn, 1854-1875
Atlantic was formed in Brooklyn, NY, in late 1854. The club was one of 16 charter members of the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP), baseball’s first organization, operating 1857-1870. The club initially chose not to enter the National Association (NA), baseball’s first professional league, operating 1871-1875. However, Atlantic did join the NA in 1872 and played in the league until 1875, when they disbanded. The success and popularity of the club during the 1860s led to the frequent use of the Atlantic name by other clubs. Information from Craig B Waff, William Ryczek, Peter Morris and others, Base Ball Founders (2013).
Rendering posted: October 8, 2024
Diggers on this uniform: Carson Lorey, John Thorn,