1895 Cleveland (Clevelands, Spiders)

This rendering is based on visual documentation for uniform style only. Color information is unknown and the uniform is rendered in values of gray. 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 June 1895 to October 1895. Year confirmed by appearance of player Knell, who only played for Cleveland in 1895. Date range of June 1895 to October 1895 determined by appearance of players Knell and O’Meara. Knell was released by Louisville and signed by Cleveland in early June 1895. O’Meara was purchased by Cleveland in June 1895 from Memphis of the Southern Association. Players wore a white uniform in this photo, with a dark-colored belt and stockings. The shirt had the city name arched across the chest and a shirt pocket. The shirt opening may have extended to its bottom. At least 7 of the shirts shown in the photo were short sleeved and at least 3 had 3/4 length sleeves.

Top row: E O’Meara (Mem 95, Cle 95 2 gms, 96), H Blake (94-98), J McAleer (NL 89, 91-98, PL 90, AL 01), C Young (NL 90-98, AL 09-11), C Zimmer (AA 87, 88 NL 90-99), J O’Connor (92-98) and C Childs (91-98). Middle row of 5: C McGarr (93-96), (J Robison), P Tebeau (NL 89, 91-98, PL 90), (G Howe) and G Tebeau (94, 95). Front, on ground: N Cuppy (92-98), P Knell (Lou 95, Cle 95), J Burkett (91-98), B Wallace (94-98) and E McKean (AA 87, 88, NL 89-98). Player IDs from photo. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Knell transaction from Chuck McGill, citing the Louisville Courier-Journal, June 6, 1895. O’Meara transaction info from David Nemec, SABR BioProject, retrieved by Chuck McGill, February 2, 2019. The Cleveland team photo was also printed in the Spalding Base Ball Guide, 1896. This guide was published before the start of the 1896 season and additionally provided the IDs for Robison and Howe. Image scan from Mark Fimoff, SABR 19-century Pictorial Committee. Original photograph by John H. Ryder, Cleveland.

Dated June 1895 to October 1895. Detail view of photo A. Detail view showed the lettering on the shirt. These letter forms were similar though slightly thinner in weight to that shown in the Just So baseball card series produced in 1893.

Photo B

Left, dated 1895. Mayo Cut Plug baseball card of B Ewing (Cle 93, 94, Cin 95-97, Cin mgr 95-99). This image of Ewing at left was made from a photograph taken in 1886, see original image far right, and was not a representation of the Cleveland uniform of 1895. Ewing was released by Cleveland July 13, 1894 and signed by Cincinnati December 14, 1894. Therefore it is possible the Ewing Mayo card was issued in 1894, not 1895. The Ewing card shown above in middle and also dated 1895 depicted Ewing wearing a Cincinnati uniform. Both the Cleveland and Cincinnati uniforms were creations of an artist and are examples of how the city name could be added across the front of the shirt. Years Ewing with teams from baseball-reference.com. Ewing transaction dates from retrosheet.org. Baseball card issue date from oldcardboard.com.

Written documentation on this uniform:
May 1895: “When the Cleveland baseball team departed from Louisville recently they left behind them, unceremoniously, their little negro mascot, and this, too, despite the fact that they won all three games from Louisville. Mr. Charles Dehler, of the Louisville Baseball Club, received a letter from [Louisville] Chief of Police Taylor today, notifying him that unless the Cleveland Club makes immediate arrangements to send back to his home in Little Rock the little mascot, he would arrest the entire [Cleveland] club on its next visit to this city [Louisville]. Mr. Dehler forwarded the letter to the officials of the Cleveland team.” From the Cincinnati Enquirer, May 4, 1895.

May 1895: “Jesse Burkett has adopted a new wrinkle for taking care of the sunny left field in Cleveland. Some genius has made him a present of a cap modeled after the new style worn by bicyclists. It has a peak [i.e., visor] made of green isinglass and shades his eyes better than smoked glass.” From the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, May 18, 1895. Isinglass is a transparent gelatin material. Isinglass definition from wikipedia.com.

Team genealogy: Cleveland 1887-1899
Cleveland was formed to join the American Association (AA) in 1887. The AA was a major league operating 1882-1891. Cleveland moved to the National League (NL) in 1889. The NL began operation in 1876 and Cleveland played in the NL from 1889 to 1899. After the 1899 season, Cleveland was dropped by the league and the team disbanded. Information from wikipedia.