1879 Worcester MA (Worcesters)

This rendering is based on visual documentation for uniform style only. Color information for the uniform, excluding the caps, is unknown and the uniform is rendered in values of gray. Some important details may also be undocumented or difficult to determine and an educated guess is made to complete the rendering.

Rendering accuracy:

Year: documented    Team: documented

Visual documentation on this uniform:

Photo A

Dated 1879. Date confirmed by player Brady. Detail view of player Bushong shown at right. Team portraits, clockwise from top: L Knight (NA 79, NL 80), L Richmond (NA 79, NL 80-82), S Brady (79), A Irwin (NA 79, NL 80-82), T Nichols (NA 79, NL 80), C Bennett (NA 79, NL 80), G Wood (NA 79, NL 80), A Whitney (NA 79, NL 80), C Sullivan (NA 79, NL 80) and D Bushong (NA 79, NL 80-82). Middle: F Bancroft (mgr NA 79, NL 80). Years played for team from baseball-reference.com. Original image from Worcester Historical Museum, Worcester, MA. Note, collage also shows drawing of cap and belt.

Photo B

Dated 1886. Drawing of Richmond (NA 79, NL 80-82) based on portrait shown in 1879 team collage, see photo A, top right portrait. Drawing from the Official Record, New York, September 10, 1886. Image from Timothy Hughes, Rare & Early Newspapers.

Written documentation on this uniform:
April 1879: “The players in the Worcester nine can be distinguished this season by their caps, each man wearing a band of color an inch wide on his cap, as follows: Weaver, red; Bennett, blue; Heifer, yellow; Brady, green; Whitney, brown; Mutrie, orange; Benners, black; Nichols, white; Knight, crimson; Bushong, purple. The color will be printed against the player’s name on the scorecard.” From the Boston Globe, April 8, 1879.

April 1879: “The Worcesters have decided that each man shall wear an inch band of a particular color about his hat during the season, the color to be printed against the player’s name on the scorecard, as follows: Weaver, red; Bennett, blue; Heifer, yellow; Brady, green; Whitney, brown; Mutrie, orange; Benners, black; Nichols, white; Knight, crimson; Bushong, purple.” From the Chicago Daily Tribune, April 20, 1879. Research from Don Stokes.

Team genealogy: Coming soon