1889 Brooklyn (Brooklyns, Bridegrooms)
Left: 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
Right: This rendering is based on visual documentation for uniform style and written documentation for color. Some important 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 these uniforms:
Photo A
Dated early 1889. Photo year determined by appearance of player Visner. Photo date of “early 1889” may be determined by a March 1889 newspaper report stating the Brooklyn team “will be photographed by Gardner, a local base ball enthusiast” when the newly ordered uniforms were to arrive. This report also said the uniforms were to be medium gray in color. However, the players appear to have worn white uniforms in the team photo above by Gardner. Based on another newspaper account from 1889, the white Brooklyn uniform had red trimmings. 13 players in this photo wore short sleeved shirts, ten of which also wore a white undershirt. Many of the short sleeves had button holes indicating detachable long sleeves were available. One of the short sleeved shirts was tailored with shorter than normal sleeves, extending only to mid-bicep, see player Smith, top row, far left. Only one player, Caruthers, front row, second from left, wore a uniform with full long sleeves.
Top row, from left: G Smith (AA 85-89, NL 90, 97), P Corkhill (AA 88, 89, NL 90), A Terry (AA 84-89, NL 90, 91), D Foutz (AA 88, 89, NL 90-96), D O’Brien (AA 88, 89, NL 90-92), D Bushong (AA 88, 89, NL 90) and J Visner (89). Front row: G Pinkney (AA 85-89, NL 90, 91), B Caruthers (AA 88, 89, NL 90, 91), H Collins (AA 88, 89, NL 90-92), (B McGunnigle mgr AA 88, 89, NL 90), M Hughes on ground (AA 88, 89, NL 90), O Burns (AA 88, 89, NL 90-95), B Clark (AA 86-89, NL 90) and T Lovett (AA 88, 89, NL 90, 91, 93). Player IDs from photo. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Image scan from Mark Fimoff, 19th-century Pictorial Baseball Committee. Original photo by Gardner & Co., Fulton Street, Brooklyn.
Dated early 1889. Detail view of photo A. Detail view shows shirt lettering with the holes for the lace ties running through the letters “o” and “k”. Detail view also show the stitching on the shirt placket and the shirt pocket.
Dated 1889. Detail view of photo A. Detail view shows quilted padding on the hips and knees, and that the uniform had already been worn during a game before the photo was taken.
Photo B
Dated late May to October 1889. Studio portrait of C Reynolds (KC AA 89, Bro 89). Photo date determined as Reynolds was purchased by Brooklyn on May 22, 1889. Player wore a uniform in this photo that matched that worn in the team photo by Gardner, see photo A. Photo of Reynolds also shows the cap worn with the white uniform. The cap was not shown in the team photo. Player ID, year with team, and transaction date from baseball-reference.com.
Photo C
Dated 1889. Old Judge cabinet card of J Visner (89). Full view at left, detail view at right. Photo date confirmed as this was the only year Visner played for team. Player wore a light gray uniform with a check pattern. A newspaper report from 1889 suggests the trim color for this uniform was red. The cap color is undetermined. Year with team from baseball-reference.com. Image from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Photo D
Dated 1889. Old Judge cabinet card of M Hughes (AA 88, 89, NL 90). Full view at left, detail view at right. Photo date may be confirmed as studio background matches that shown in photo C. Detail view of Hughes card shows a version of the checked pants with quilted padding at the knees and hips. The pants in photo C did not have padding. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Image from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Photo E
Dated April 1889. Year of photo confirmed by appearance of player Visner. Players in this photo may have worn the same light gray uniform as shown in photos C and D above, however the detail in the photo does not confirm the checked pattern. The cap and general style of this uniform does match the photos C and D. Three players in this team photo wore a white sweater, and one wore a light-toned jacket. Based on the scoreboard behind the players, it is likely this photo was taken in Philadelphia before a game vs. Athletic and suggests the checked uniform (if worn in this photo) was therefore the road uniform. If the April date supplied on the caption is correct, this photo was most likely made between April 18 and April 21, 1889 as Brooklyn played at Athletic to open the season during these dates. The photo also has the mark of Levytype Co, Philadelphia, in the lower left corner, further confirming a Philadelphia setting.
Top row, from left: G Pinkney (AA 85-89, NL 90, 91), M Hughes (AA 88, 89, NL 90), O Burns (AA 88, 89, NL 90-95), D O’Brien (AA 88, 89, NL 90-92) and H Collins? (AA 88, 89, NL 90-92). Front: P Corkhill (AA 88, 89, NL 90), T Lovett (AA 88, 89, NL 90, 91, 93), B Clark (AA 86-89, NL 90), (B McGunnigle mgr AA 88, 89, NL 90), D Foutz (AA 88, 89, NL 90-96), J Visner (89) and G Smith (AA 85-89, NL 90, 97)? Player IDs based on IDs from Gardner photo, see photo A. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. April game dates from retrosheet.org. Image scan from Ken Samoil. Original photo published in Athletic Sports in America, England and Australia (1889).
Dated April 1889. Detail view of photo E. Detail view shows light-toned or light gray short-sleeved shirts with dark lace ties, belt and stockings. Photo also shows a mid-tone cap with white trim at the edge of the bill, similar to that shown in photos C and D.
Written documentation on these uniforms:
March 1889: “More than a dozen different kinds of cloths and designs […] were submitted [to President Byrne], and finally, when he had scratched his head and stamped his foot in perplexity […he] selected pearl gray and white, with red trimmings.” From the New York World, March 24, 1889. This report may suggest the team selected a home uniform of white and a road uniform of pearl gray, both trimmed with red.
March 1889: “The [Brooklyn] boys will have a medium gray uniform this year. Spalding measured them for the new suits last week. As soon as they are ready, they will be photographed by Gardner, a local base ball enthusiast.” From the New York Press, March 24, 1889. Note that the team photo from this year, see photo A, was taken by Gardner, a Brooklyn photographer.
April 1889: “The Grooms have a new uniform of bluish gray trimmed with red.” From the New York Evening Telegram, April 26, 1889.
June 13, 1889: “[Brooklyn] wore gray uniforms against Cincinnati because their regular uniforms are too similar to the Reds’ uniforms.” From the Brooklyn Daily Times, June 14, 1889. Research from Clifford Blau. Cincinnati played at Brooklyn on June 13 and 14, 1889. Game dates from retrosheet.org.
June 1889: “We acknowledge the receipt of a handsome photograph of the Brooklyn team. It is one of Gardner & Co.’s best, and is in an excellent gilt frame. […] We tender thanks for the same to the photographers Gardner & Co., 276 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, and to President Byrne and Secretary Ebbets of the Brooklyn Club.” From the New York Clipper, June 29, 1889.
August 30, 1889, Brooklyn v. Kansas City at Brooklyn, Washington Park: “[Brooklyn was] warmly welcomed when they marched into the enclosure at Washington Park yesterday afternoon, attired in new white uniforms.” From the New York Herald, August 31, 1889. Game date from retrosheet.org.
October 19, 1889, Brooklyn v. New York at Brooklyn, Washington Park, World Series Game 2: “The Brooklyns […] wore white suits and red trimmings.” From the Pittsburgh Dispatch, October 20, 1889. Research from Don Stokes. Game date from wikipedia.com.
October 1889, New York (NL) v. Brooklyn (AA), World Series: “New York was attired in white uniforms with black trimmings and black caps. The Brooklyn outfits were white suits also but trimmed in red.” From Preston D. Orem, Baseball 1882-1891 From The Newspaper Accounts (1966, 1967, reprinted by SABR in 2021), pg. 420. The series was played October 18, 1889 to October 29, 1889, per wikipedia.com.
Team genealogy:
Brooklyn 1883-1957
Brooklyn was formed as a minor league team in 1883 and joined the American Association (AA) in 1884. The AA was a major league operating 1882-1891 and Brooklyn played in the AA between 1884 and 1889. Brooklyn moved to the National League (NL) for the 1890 season. The NL began operation in 1876. Brooklyn played in the NL between 1890 and 1957, when the team moved to Los Angeles. Information from wikipedia.
Rendering posted: September 15, 2016
Diggers on this uniform: Cliff Blau, Ken Samoil, Mark Fimoff,