1895 Washington DC (Washingtons, Senators)
These renderings are 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 renderings.
Rendering accuracy:Year: documented Team: documented
Visual documentation on these uniforms:
Photo A
Dated 1895. Date confirmed by appearance of players Nicholson, Mahoney and Coogan, as each of these men only year for Washington in 1895. Players wore their team sweaters in this photo making it impossible to see the uniform underneath. The large “W” on the front of the sweater mimicked the uniform shown in the photographs of individual players in studio, see below. All of these images were probably made at the same time. Team caps were not shown in this photo.
Top row, from left: V Anderson (94-96), W Mercer (NL 94-99, AL 01), A Krumm (dnp?), B Hassamaer (Was 94, 95, Lou NL 95), A Maul (93-97), B Joyce (94-96) and D McGuire (AA 91, NL 92-99). Middle: C Abbey (93-97), J Boyd (94-96), J Crooks (95, 96), (G Schmelz mgr 94-97), E Cartwright (94-97), O Stocksdale (Was NL 93-95, Bos NL 95) and P Nicholson (95). Front: B? Collins (dnp?), K Selbach (NL 94-98, AL 03, 04), D Mahoney (95), J Malarky (94-96) and D Coogan (95). Player IDs from photo. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. This same image was printed in the the Spalding Base Ball Guide, 1896. Original photo by Charles M. Bell, Washington, DC.
Photo B
Dated 1895. Studio image of D Coogan (95). Full view at left, detail view at right. Date can be confirmed as this was the player’s only year with the team. Player wore a white uniform in this photo. The shirt displayed a large “W” across the button placket, and more notably, ¾ length sleeves, which were uncommon before this year. The player wore his collar up (sort of) and his pillbox cap was white with two dark horizontal bands. The belt and the stockings were also dark in color. The pants, see detail view, were white and were of a substantially baggier cut when compared to the uniforms of other teams from this period. Many Washington players from this photo session wore a similar uniform and it could be suggested that the Senators were one of the first teams to outfit all of its players with this new baggy look—a fashion that remained in style well in to the 20th century. Newspaper reports from early 1895 stated that the home uniform was cream white with black trimmings and that the “W” on the shirt was also black. To date, no reports have been found to substantiate Washington as one of the first teams to wear the new baggy look. Player identification from photo. Year Coogan with team from baseball-reference.com. Image scan from the Library of Congress, which dated this image as 1894 and credited the photographer as Charles M. Bell, Washington, DC.
Photo C
Dated 1895. Studio image of J Boyd (94-96). Full view at left, detail view at right. Date can be confirmed by similarities in the studio background with the Coogan image, see photo B. Detail view showed the letter “W” on the breast of the shirt and that a shirt button was prominently positioned on top of the letter. Like the Coogan photo, this player wore a shirt with ¾ length sleeves and baggy baseball pants. Player identification from photo. Years Boyd with team from baseball-reference.com. Image scan from the Library of Congress, which dated this image as 1894 and credited the photographer as Charles M. Bell, Washington, DC.
Photo C
Dated 1895. Studio image of A Krumm (dnp?). Full view at left, detail view at right. Date can be confirmed by similarities in the studio background with the Coogan image, see photo B. While the player wore a uniform that matched others from this photo session, the player’s pillbox cap was lacking the horizontal bands. Like the Coogan photo, this player wore a shirt with ¾ length sleeves and baggy baseball pants. Note that the shirt button that would normally have overlaid the letter “W” was left unbuttoned in this photo. Player identification from photo. Image scan from the Library of Congress, which dated this image as 1894 and credited the photographer as Charles M. Bell, Washington, DC.
Photo E
Dated 1895. Studio image of D Mahoney (95). Full view at left, detail view at right. Date can be confirmed as this was the player’s only year with the team. Player wore a light gray uniform in this photo and a dark cap with a soft crown that featured the letter “W.” This was one of the earliest examples of a letter displayed on a cap. Newspaper reports from early 1895 described the road uniform as pearl gray in color with a black cap, belt and stockings. The player also wore sleeve extensions on his shirt. Player identification from photo. Year Mahoney with team from baseball-reference.com. Image scan from the Library of Congress, which dated this image as 1894 and credited the photographer as Charles M. Bell, Washington, DC.
Photo F
Dated 1895. Studio image of J Malarky (94-96). Full view at left, detail view at right. Date can be confirmed by similarities in the studio background with the Mahoney image, see photo E. Player wore a pearl gray road uniform and a black soft-crown cap that was similar to that shown in the photo E. Detail view showed that the “W” on the breast was identical to that shown on the white home uniform. Player identification from photo. Years Malarky with team from baseball-reference.com. Image scan from the Library of Congress, which dated this image as 1894 and credited the photographer as Charles M. Bell, Washington, DC.
Photo G
Dated 1895. Studio image of P Nicholson (95). Full view at left, detail view at right. Date can be confirmed as this was the player’s only year with the team. Player wore the white home uniform in this photo but instead of a white pillbox cap, the player wore the black soft-crown cap that may have been more associated with the Washington road uniform. Detail view showed a great closeup of the letter on the cap. Year Nicholson with team from baseball-reference.com. Player identification and image scan from the Library of Congress, which dated this image as 1894 and credited the photographer as Charles M. Bell, Washington, DC.
Photo H
Dated 1895. Mayo Cut Plug baseball card of B Joyce (94-96). Full view at left, detail view at right. The majority of players portrayed in this series were represented by drawings, often made from photographs. However, research has shown that the uniforms depicted were usually a creation of the artist and not an accurate representation. Years Joyce with team from baseball-reference.com. Card issue date from oldcardboard.com.
Photo I
Dated July 13, 1895. This collage of portraits was published in a newspaper on this date. Full view at left, detail view at right. Portraits were drawings based on the team picture from this year in which the players wore their team sweaters, see photo A. Printed collage from The Sporting News, July 13, 1895. Image scan from Ken Samoil.
Written documentation on these uniforms:
February 1895: “The Washingtons will appear in new uniforms next summer. There will be no red, blue or other glaring colors used. The road uniform will be of pearl gray knickerbockers and shirts, with black caps, belts and stockings. A big black W will decorate the bosom of the shirt. […] Treasurer Wagner is going to have the material of the best [kind used] and they will be made to order.” From the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, February 8, 1895. Research from Don Stokes.
February 1895: “The Senators will have new suits the coming season. Manager Schmelz had his desire for oddities gratified last year [in 1894], and when the club appears in the opening game [of 1895] the men will wear a cream white with black trimmings with a ‘W’ on the breast of the shirt. A pearl gray will be worn when the team is on the road.” From the Washington (DC) Times, February 10, 1895. Research from Justin Mckinney.
April 1894: “The Washington Club’s new uniforms have come. And they’re beauties. There are two for each player—and as many of them as we can properly show will be in one of our Avenue windows. We made ‘em. We’ve made our [National] League club’s uniforms for several years past. — M.A. Tappan, Spalding Agency, 1013 Pa. Ave.” Advertisement wording printed in the Washington (DC) Times, April 4, 1895. Research from Justin Mckinney.
Team genealogy: Washington 1891-1899
Washington was formed to join the American Association (AA) for the 1891 season. The AA was a major league operating from 1882 to 1891. When the AA folded after the 1891 season, Washington joined the National League (NL) in 1892 as the NL expanded to twelve teams. The NL began play in 1876. Washington played in the NL from 1892 to 1899 and was dissolved when the NL contracted down to eight teams after the 1899 season. Info from wikipedia.
Rendering posted: December 18, 2018
Diggers on this uniform: Don Stokes, Justin Mckinney, Ken Samoil,