1890 Oakland (Oaklands, Colonels)

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

Center & Right: These renderings are based on visual documentation for uniform style only. An educated guess is made on uniform color based on a documentation of other team uniforms from this year and also on minor details that may be missing or difficult to determine.

Rendering accuracy:Year: documented    Team: documented

Visual documentation on these uniforms:

Photo A

Dated 1890. Players wore a dark uniform in this photo, with a white belt and striped cap. This uniform matched a newspaper account from 1890 which described the outfit as consisting of a close-fitting black knit shirt and pants, with a black-and-white striped cap. The team wore dark stockings in this photo, probably black.

Dated 1890. Detail view of photo A. Detail view shows that the city name was positioned high on the chest.

Photo B

Dated 1890. This is the same photo as photo A, however in this version more detail can be seen in the legs oof the front row. This version of the photo when published was dated 1891, not 1890. Photo caption listed “manager Tom Robinson in center” and that the photo was from the Doug McWilliams collection. Image can from pinterest.com.

Photo C

Dated September 9, 1890, Oakland v. San Francisco at California League Grounds, most likely the Haight Street Grounds, San Francisco. Oakland players were depicted wearing a dark uniform, including a cap and stockings with thick vertical stripes. The city name and beelt were white. Image scan from the Library of Congress. Original painting by Myra E. Kinsey.

Dated September 9, 1890. Detail view of photo C. Detail view shows the unique vertical stripes on the Oakland stockings. A newspaper account from 1890 described the color of these stripes as black and white.

Photo D

Dated circa 1890. An unknown California League grandstand. Photo date may be confirmed by the Oakland player standing at left, possibly identified as S Dungan (90). Year Dungan with team from baseball-reference.com. Image scan from Mark Fimoff, SABR 19th-century Pictorial Committee.

Dated circa 1890. Detail views of photo D. Player wore a light gray uniform with short sleeves, and a cap and stockings with vertical stripes. This uniform may be the flannel uniform mentioned in a newspaper report from 1890 as one to be worn on the muddy fields of Sacramento and Stockton.

Written documentation on these uniforms:
March 1890, printed quote from Oakland owner Colonel Thomas P. Robinson when asked “How about the new suits, Colonel?”: “The team will have two suits—one flannel, costing $12.50 each; and the other of close-fitting knit goods. The last is the la-la. There is a black knit shirt with rolling collar, black knee shorts, a black and white cap, stockings of black and white with stripes running up and down, and a white belt. Over the shirt will be worn, when necessary, a white, close-fitting Norfolk jacket. The suits are what they call the Nadjy pattern. They are like those worn by the Chicagos last year, except that they are black and white, instead of gray. Each cost $27.50, and they are the finest uniforms ever seen in California. The stockings were made to order, and the stripes are arranged to show up the calves of the players to the very best advantage. These swell suits will be worn for the first time in the game at San Francisco on Saturday. I wouldn’t let the boys put them on in the mud at Sacramento. During the season, we will wear the flannels at Sacramento and Stockton. There is too much dirt in traveling for the other uniforms, and there is a great deal of clay on the diamonds up there. I want to save the fancy suits for Oakland and San Francisco.” From the Oakland Tribune, March 26, 1890. Research from Don Stokes.

April 1890: “The Louisvilles are not the only ‘Colonels’ in the base ball profession. In California the Oaklands are known by that title.” From The Sporting Life, April 5, 1890.

Team genealogy: Coming soon