1866 Union, Morrisania NY (Unions)

Left: This rendering is based on visual documentation for uniform style and color. Some details may be undocumented or difficult to determine and an educated guess is made to complete the rendering.

Rendering accuracy:Year: documented    Team: documented

Right: This rendering is based on visual documentation for uniform style only. An educated guess is made on uniform color and on minor details that may be missing or difficult to determine.

Rendering accuracy:Year: unconfirmed   Team: documented

Visual documentation on these uniforms:

Photo A

Dated 1866. Year of photo may be confirmed by the appearance of player Wright, who played for Union in 1866 and 1868. Documentation of the 1868 Union uniform showed that the shirt had an old-English U” on the front that year, suggesting the uniform shown in photo A was from 1866. This panoramic image of the team may have been made from a composite of three photographs. Players wore a white shirt in this photo with the team name spelled out in an inverted arch on a shield bib. The bib was edged with dark trim. The pants were light in tone and had a thin line of dark trim on the pant seam. Eight of the twelve players in the photo tied their pant cuffs tight to their ankles. They did this for better mobility during games but the fact that they did so for this studio session demonstrated their intent to have this image be as realistic as possible. The belts the players wore featured two dark horizontal bands and one light band in the middle. The caps were white with a star on the top. One cap, shown on the ground at far right, was dark in color with a white visor.

From left: D Birdsall (63-68, 70), T Beals? (67), H Austin? (65-70), unidentified, J Goldie? (66-69), unidentified, unidentified, unidentified, unidentified, G Wright (66, 68), unidentified, unidentified, C Pabor? (65-70). Note that the player’s names were included on the original photo mount, though impossible to read in cabinet card above. Years with team from Paul Batesel, Players And Teams Of The National Association, 1871-1875 (2012) and from Marshall D. Wright, The National Association Of Base Ball Players, 1857-1870 (2000). The back of the cabinet card mount featured the mark of photographer William G. Grotecloss, 227 Bleecker Street, corner of Carmine Street, New York, NY.

Dated 1866. Two detail views of photo A. Detail view showed the distinctive shirt bib and belt of this uniform. Detail views from Heritage Auctions.

Photo B

Undated. This painting was based on the image of the 1866 Union team, see photo A. The artist depicted the uniform as consisting of white shirts with blue lettering and blue trim on the bib. The pants were tan in color and trimmed with red. The darker bands of the belt were also shown as red, though a contemporary account described the Union belt as “tri-colored.” The caps were white in color with a blue star on top and with a band of blue trim above the brim. The caps may also have had vertical tan-colored ribbing and a tan-colored button on top. One cap, shown on the ground at far right, was depicted as blue in color with a white visor. The original painting is at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Cooperstown, NY.

Photo C

Photo card undated, image dated 1865-1870. The photo card showed an image of Union player C Pabor (65-70), full view at left and detail view at right. The uniform in the photo matched that shown in the 1866 team photo, see photo A. In the team photo Pabor, most likely standing at far right, wore a cap and belt that was different than the remainder of his teammates. In photo C, Pabor may be wearing the same cap and belt. The cap in photo C was of a mid-tone color with a white visor and a white star on top, and the belt was dark in color. Detail view showed the buttons and the dark trim decorating the shield. The same dark trim was on the collar and the shirt cuffs. The irregular quality of the lettering on the bib suggested the team name may have been painted on the bib by hand. Years Pabor with team from Paul Batesel, Players And Teams Of The National Association, 1871-1875 (2012) and from Marshall D. Wright, The National Association Of Base Ball Players, 1857-1870 (2000). Image scan from John Thorn, Our Game, retrieved May 23, 2020. This photo was also published by A. G. Spalding in America’s National Game (1911).

Photo D

Photo card undated, image dated 1865-1870. The photo card showed an image of Union player D Birdsall (63-68, 70), full view at left and detail view at right. The uniform in the photo matched that shown in the 1866 team photo, see photo A, with the exception of the cap. The image of Birdsall in photo D may have been retouched and some elements may have been added to the photo by hand. The card may have been produced as a companion item to photo C as Pabor, a pitcher and Birdsall, a catcher, were the team’s battery. Years Birdsall with team from Paul Batesel, Players And Teams Of The National Association, 1871-1875 (2012) and from Marshall D. Wright, The National Association Of Base Ball Players, 1857-1870 (2000). Image scan from Robert Edward Auctions.

Written documentation on these uniforms:
1866: “Uniform is blue cap and pants, trimmed with red, white shirt trimmed with blue, tri-colored web belt.” From Charles A. Peverelly, The Book Of American Pastimes (1866). No specific documentation given. This uniform description does not match the team photo and therefore described a uniform that came before or after the one shown in photo A.

1860s: “Unions […] wore red-trimmed pants, with tri-colored belts [..] white shirts adorned with blue trim and emblazoned with a “U” on the front, and blue caps.” From Aaron W. Miller, Base Ball Founders (2014). No specific documentation given.

Team genealogy: Union, Morrisania NY, 1855-1870s
Union was formed in Morrisania, NY, in 1855. Morrisania was the original name for the South Bronx where the prominent Morris family was seated. Union belonged to the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP), baseball’s first organization operating 1857-1870, but did not join the National Association (NA), baseball’s first league, when it was formed in 1871. Subsequently, the Union club stopped playing games competitively during this time. Information from Aaron W Miller, Peter Morris and others, Base Ball Founders (2013).