1897 Boston, Lowe Alternate
A deep dive on a photo of some Beaneaters.
The following is an examination of a well-know photo of four Boston players, see photo A below, and the alternate uniform worn by Bobby Lowe, sitting at left. In an attempt to understand the backstory behind the Lowe uniform, we can now pinpoint the true date for when this photo was taken.
Photo A
Photo of four Boston players, full view at left, detail view of the Lowe uniform at right. Until now, the widely-accepted date for this photo had been 1900. However the research presented below will show that this image was actually made in October 1897 during the Temple Cup series, a post-season contest between Boston and Baltimore. Three of the four players in this photo wore the Boston home uniform of 1897, for more on this uniform click here. The fourth player, Bobby Lowe, seated at left, wore a similarly styled uniform, however the letter on his shirt bib did not match the others, see detail view above. The following is an analysis of photo A. Part One takes a closer look at the Lowe uniform, and Part Two outlines the steps used to determine the true date of this photo. The digital scan of photo A comes from the Boston Public Library, McGreevy Collection, available at digitalcommonwealth.org.
PART ONE: The Lowe uniform
As mentioned, the shirt bib worn by Bobby Lowe did not match that of his teammates. Though the bib was similar in shape and design, the old-English B was clearly different in style and also larger in size. Remarkably, the Lowe uniform exists today and is in the possession of the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum at Cooperstown, see photo below. Because of this, we can see that the uniform is white in color, or possibly cream. We can also see that the old-English letter “B” on the shield-shaped bib is blue, not the team’s traditional accent color of red. The shirt had short sleeves with buttonholes for sleeve extensions. The style of this uniform at the Hall of Fame matched that worn by Lowe in photo A.
Bobby Lowe’s uniform in the possession of the Baseball Hall of Fame. In cataloging this item, the Hall of Fame described the uniform as “cream colored.” Cream may be the accurate color of the uniform, or possibly the result of the shirt aging over time. The color of the image shown here has been slightly altered by the author to minimize some of the yellow caused by aging and to show how the uniform may have looked originally. Description of cream-colored uniform from Tom Shieber. Image of uniform from the Dressed to The Nines uniform database.
Side-by-side comparison of the uniform worn by Lowe in photo A, left, and the uniform at the Hall of Fame, right. The red lines align the key elements of each bib and their similarities confirm that the two uniforms are identical.
Before Lowe’s uniform came to the Baseball Hall of Fame, it remained in the player’s possession long after he played his last game for Boston in 1901. On September 11, 1922, Lowe appeared in an old-timer’s game at Braves Field in Boston. It is possible Lowe wore the uniform from photo A in this game as a newspaper reported that he appeared on the field in a “Boston uniform of the dead past.” Lowe certainly wore the uniform on June 8, 1932, posing with Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees, see photos below. Lowe and Gehrig were photographed together at Navin Field in Detroit to commemorate Gehrig hitting four home runs in one game. Gehrig accomplished the feat five days earlier in Philadelphia on June 3, 1932, matching Lowe’s record from May 30, 1894. Lowe had retired to Detroit and coincidently the Yankees played a four-game series there June 7-10, 1932. The Gehrig-Lowe photos were published in newspapers across the country with a photo caption stating that Lowe put on “his old Boston National uniform for the occasion.” Info on 1922 old-timer’s game from the Buffalo Evening News, September 12, 1922. Info on Lowe wearing uniform with Gehrig from the New York Evening Post, June 9, 1932.
Dated June 8, 1932. Two photos of Bobby Lowe with Lou Gehrig. Left, a photo from the Associated Press and right, a photo from Newsday. Lowe wore the same uniform with Gehrig that he wore in photo A. As with the uniform, the cap worn by Lowe in these photos is also in the possession of the Hall of Fame. The body of the cap has a light gray top section and a blue lower section. The visor is also blue in color. The belt and socks Lowe wore in these photos were most likely from the 20th century. Note that the Newsday photo at right had the background retouched out, however versions of this photo published in newspapers in 1932 showed the ballpark behind the men. Photo at left from apimages.com. Photo at right from newsday.com. Description of color on cap from Tom Shieber.
A swing and a miss.
Unfortunately, there remain many unanswered questions about Bobby Lowe’s uniform. And after much research, the story of this uniform is still unknown. No written documentation has surfaced to provide the answers to the following:
Was the uniform created specifically for the 1897 Temple Cup series?
–this theory seems unlikely. If this was Boston’s Temple Cup uniform, then why was only Lowe wearing one in photo A?
Was the uniform specially made only for Lowe?
–this theory is possible. The uniform may have been a gift from admirers in his hometown near Pittsburgh or in Boston. This may explain why Lowe kept this uniform in his possession after his baseball career ended
Was this a Boston road uniform?
–this theory is the most plausible. The letter on the bib was blue, and throughout the 1890s Boston wore blue as their accent color while on the road. It is true that during this time road uniforms were typically light gray in color and not white, however this was not always the rule. Boston started the 1897 season with a road uniform that had a white shirt and gray pants. The Boston road uniform for the previous season of 1896 is currently undocumented
If this was a Boston road uniform, why was Lowe wearing it?
–two theories can be suggested. One is that the bib on Lowe’s regular-season uniform had become unwearable, due to damage or dirt. A second theory is that Lowe had temporarily lost his regular uniform, possibly when traveling by train. For reasons unknown, Lowe also wore his street shoes in photo A, not his baseball shoes. Did Lowe forget to bring his baseball shoes to the photo session? Or were they temporarily lost along with his uniform?
The story behind the Lowe uniform remains undiscovered, but we’ll keep digging.
PART TWO: Determining a date for photo A.
Photo A
As stated above, the date of 1900 is often associated with photo A. This date comes from the Boston Public Library, which has possession of the image and has published the title of “Famous Boston Infield of 1900.” The analysis below will show that this date is not accurate. It is true these four players were the noted infield of the 1900 Boston team. But they also played together as such for four consecutive years, between 1897 and 1900, and were key components to Boston winning the NL pennant in 1897 and 1898.
The men were, clockwise from top, first baseman Fred Tenney (94-07), shortstop Herman Long (90-02), third baseman Jimmy Collins (NL 95-00, AL 01-07) and second baseman Lowe (90-01). Collins is in the Hall of Fame and his plaque at Cooperstown acknowledges he “revolutionized the style of play” at third base. In 1932 John McGraw described Tenney, Lowe, Long and Collins as “one of the greatest infields that ever played.” These guys must have been fun to watch. Years players in Boston (in parenthesis) from baseball-reference.com. McGraw quote from the Knickerbocker Press (Albany NY), February 13, 1933.
1) The accepted date of 1900.
To start our analysis, we first want to see how and when the 1900 date was attached to photo A. According to the Boston Public Library, “the title and date come from a handwritten caption on the photo, most likely written in McGreevy’s own hand.” McGreevy was Boston saloon keeper Michael T. McGreevy, born 1865, died 1943, and possibly the original owner of the image. The BPL adds that “it’s quite possible” that 1900 was the date when “the photo was hung on the wall” at the saloon. Researcher Peter Nash has written that “McGreevy’s saloon became the headquarters for the baseball community” with “nearly every square inch of wall space dedicated to small and large mounted pictures of former Boston teams and massive individual portraits.” This claim can be verified in pictures that exist today of the saloon’s interior. Nash noted that when McGreevy donated his collection to the Print Department at the Boston Public Library, “the library staff at the main branch in Copley Square took roughly 200 rare photographs out of the original frames that once hung on the walls […] and stamped them with the identification mark, ‘M.T. McGreevey Collection.’” Info on “handwritten caption” from Aaron Schmidt, Boston Public Library, in an email sent to the author on January 20, 2021. Info on McGreevy from Peter Nash, SABR Bio Project, Nuf Ced McGreevy, retrieved December 26, 2020.
The date was again associated with photo A when the item was included in a display of the library’s collection of baseball photographs. The display was in a shop window at Filene’s Department Store in Boston, see photo below. A card with a photo caption had been pinned to the lower right of the photo in the display. The card read: “Lowe, Tenney, Long Collins, Famous Infield, Boston 1900.” Was this the first time this date was attributed to the photo?
Photo dated 1939. Window display at Filene’s Department Store in Boston. Partial view of display at left, detail view of photo A in display at right. Detail view showed that photo A was a large-format print mounted to a cardboard backer. The bottom of the mount had placards with each player’s name. The faded “ghosting” on each side of the mount suggests the image had been overlapped with other photos when displayed at McGreevy’s saloon. The card pinned to the lower right of the image was added for the purposes of the display in 1939. Digital scan and info on the Filene’s display from the Boston Public Library, McGreevy Collection, available at digitalcommonwealth.org.
2) Establishing the time of day and the location of photo A.
It is clear that photo A was taken indoors at a photographer’s studio and that the exposure was made during the day, utilizing natural daylight that came through skylights. We also can surmise that the image was made in Boston, based on the photographer’s mark on the photo. The photographer was Elmer E. Chickering, born 1857, died 1915, who during his lifetime was described as being “one of the leading photographers in Boston.” Chickering operated a studio and gallery at 21 West Street and “photographed many of the leading men and women of the city, state and nation.” He photographed the Boston baseball team and players in 1897, 1899, 1900 and 1901, as well as in other years. Photo A had Chickering’s mark debossed directly onto the print, see detail view below. After 1905, the photo business was renamed “Elmer Chickering Co.,” which may suggest a photo date before this year. Info on Chickering as leading photographer in Boston from The Ancient, Volume 6, published by the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company, June 1915. Chickering as photographer of “city, state and nation” from the Boston Globe, May 15, 1915.
Detail view of photo A, showing the Boston Public Library stamp and the mark of Boston photographer Elmer Chickering. Note that the pin hole in the lower right of this detail view was created by the card pinned to the print at the time of the Filene’s display in 1939.
3) Establishing an initial date range for photo A.
—–mid-1897 to late 1900
We can start to determine the date for this photo by looking at each player’s time with the team. The appearance of Tenney and Collins tells us that the date for photo A is somewhere between mid-1897 and late 1900. Fred Tenney signed with the team as a catcher on June 15, 1894. However it was not until 1897 that Tenney played any games at first base for Boston, when he played 128 games there. Accordingly, it could be suggested that as Tenney was establishing himself at the new position, it is unlikely photo A was made any earlier than in the middle of the 1897 season. An end date of late 1900 can be determined by Jimmy Collins, who had become the team’s third baseman in 1896. Collins jumped to the new Boston AL club after the 1900 season, signing on February 11, 1901. Additionally, both Long and Lowe were regulars at their positions throughout this four-year period. See games played below for each player. Info on games played from baseball-reference.com.
Games played at their position, 1897-1900:
–Tenney at first: 1897 – 128; 1898 – 117; 1899 – 150; 1900 – 111
–Lowe at second: 1897 – 123; 1898 – 145; 1899 – 148; 1900 – 127
–Long at shortstop: 1897 – 107; 1898 – 142; 1899 – 143; 1900 – 125
–Collins at third: 1897 – 134; 1898 – 152; 1899 – 151; 1900 – 141
4) Narrowing the date range.
—–mid-1897 to April 1899
Based on the uniforms worn by Tenney, Long and Collins in photo A, the date can be further narrowed to the years of 1897, 1898 or possibly the preseason of 1899. The uniform they wore matched that of the Boston team from the 1897 season, a year in which many photos of the team and players exist today. Unfortunately, there are no known photos of the Boston team or players from the 1898 season. Photos show that for the subsequent 1899 and 1900 seasons, Boston changed the design of their home uniform each year. To date, there is no evidence to suggest the team wore the 1897 uniform design during the regular season of 1899 or 1900. See below for a comparison of the Boston uniforms.
Examples of the Boston home uniform, from left: 1897, 1899 and 1900. There are no known photos of the 1898 team. The 1897 uniform, left, had the same design as that shown in photo A. Image scans from Ken Samoil.
Additionally, a detailed look at photo A suggests that the image was made while a season was in progress. All four uniforms in the photo were well-worn, and not brand-new uniforms. The bib of Tenney’s uniform most likely had a missing a button, and the pants of Tenney, Long and Lowe were each soiled and stained, see below. The condition of the uniforms in combination with the style of uniform suggests that photo A was made while either the 1897 season, the 1898 season, or the 1899 preseason was in progress, and at a time when the uniforms could not be cleaned.
Three detail views of photo A showing the condition of the uniforms. Left, detail view of a button missing from Tenney’s bib, see arrow. Right, detail views of the soiled pants of Long, top, and Lowe, bottom, see arrows. The condition of the uniforms suggests that photo A was taken during a season and not when the uniforms were new.
5) Further narrowing the date range.
—–mid-1897 to April 1898
An examination of the letter on the bib of Collins in photo A suggests that the photo was made in 1897 or during the preseason of 1898 when the 1897 uniform may still have been in use. The Collins’ letter had an anomaly that seems unlikely to have been repeated on new uniforms issued separately in 1897 and 1898. See side-by-side comparisons below.
Side-by-side comparison of Collins’ bib letters. Left, detail view from a late-August 1897 portrait, and right, detail view of photo A. The red arrows point to an anomaly in the letter. Note that in each example at the angled area at the bottom of the letter, a small cutout shape had been omitted and instead filled-in with fabric. Compare to the Tenney letter above where a cutout hole was visible. This anomaly suggests that Collins wore the same uniform in both photos, and that such an anomaly seems unlikely to have been repeated in uniforms issued in two consecutive years.
6) Further narrowing the date range.
—–mid-1897 to late 1897
The idea that photo A could have been taken in the preseason of 1898 can be dispelled by newspaper reports from March 1898. Only Fred Tenney, “a native of Georgetown, Mass.,” was reported to be in Boston before the team headed to spring training in Greensboro, NC, on March 19, 1898. Newspapers reported that on March 20 Jimmy Collins was to join the team en route while in New York, and that both Bobby Lowe and Herman Long were described to have travelled independent of the team to Greensboro. Lowe, who lived in Pennsylvania, reportedly “left over a week ago [in early March], accompanied by Mrs. Lowe, to take a little vacation at Charlotte, N. C.,” and Long “will pass a few days in [Chicago] and then go to Hot Springs [Arkansas] remaining there until called to report at Greensboro, N. C., on March 21.”
While in Greensboro, the team received their new uniforms for 1898 on March 23, 1898. On this day a newspaper reported that “the Bostons have received their new uniforms and will use them for the first time tomorrow [in an exhibition game on March 24].” In early April 1898, a newspaper noted at spring training that “the new uniforms are very pretty, indeed. They are neat and yet are not too plain.” After Greensboro the team headed north, playing exhibition games along the way. Newspapers noted that “no game will be played in New England before the championship season opens. Games will be probably played with Lancaster, Reading and Allentown. This will bring Boston into Princeton on April 14, the day before the opening of the season in New York.”
All of this points to the unlikelihood that photo A was taken in Boston in March 1898 while wearing their old uniforms from 1897. All four players were not together in Boston before spring training, they received new uniforms while at spring training in Greensboro, and the team did not return to Boston before the season started. The first time the four players were together in Boston was for the home opener on April 19, 1898, a game in which they undoubtedly wore their new uniforms. Info on Tenney as Georgetown native from The Sporting Life, October 9, 1897. Info on Collins joining team in New York from The Sporting Life, March 12, 1898. Info on Long in Arkansas from The Sporting Life, February 26, 1898. Info on Lowe in Charlotte from The Sporting Life, March 19, 1898. Info on the schedule of the team heading north from The Sporting Life, February 5, 1898.
7) The mustache mystery.
Possibly the most perplexing element of photo A is the fact that both Tenney and Lowe were photographed as clean shaven. This contradicts photo evidence that shows the two wore mustaches throughout most of their playing career. Photos show Tenney and Lowe wearing mustaches in 1896, 1897, 1899 and 1900. Tenney continued to wear a mustache into the 1901 season and Lowe last wore a mustache in 1905, see facial studies below.
Facial studies of Tenney, Long, Lowe and Collins from 1896 to 1906. This study shows that Tenney and Lowe wore mustaches until after the turn of the century, with the possible exception of 1898 when no known photos of the team or players exist. The portraits outlined in red above are detail views of photo A. Some of the images for this facial study came from Ken Samoil.
Additionally, photos from late August 1897 and late September 1897 showed Tenney and Lowe with facial hair.
Photo dated late August 1897. The date for this Boston team photo can be determined by individual portraits of players wearing the same uniform. Based on folds in the uniforms, it’s clear that some of these portraits, stamped with the date of August 31, 1897, were made at the same time as the team photo above. This date can be further confirmed by the appearance of player Allen, standing third from left in the team photo, who signed with Boston on July 12, 1897. Red arrows call out players Lowe, left, and Tenney, right, wearing mustaches. Image scan from Ken Samoil.
Photo dated about September 30, 1897. Photo of the Boston team at Brooklyn, most likely on the second to last game of the 1897 season. The team won the NL Pennant on this day by defeating Brooklyn while at the same time second-place Baltimore lost to Washington. The Boston players were wearing their white home uniforms on the road. Red arrows call out players Tenney, left, and Lowe, right, wearing mustaches. Note that Lowe was wearing his normal Boston uniform in this photo, not the uniform from photo A. Image info and scan from Leslie’s Weekly, October 21, 1897.
Thankfully, the mustache mystery can be solved by the following entry in The Sporting Life from October 16, 1897, penned by Boston correspondent Jacob C. Morse in his summary of the Temple Cup series between Boston and Baltimore:
“Nichols, Lowe and Tenney agreed to sacrifice their mustaches if the Bostons won the pennant,
and were fairly unrecognizable when they appeared on the grounds.”
8) Further narrowing the date range.
—–sometime in October 1897
With the mustache mystery now solved, we know that photo A was made after the second-to-last game of the season on September 30, 1897. But when exactly? The following is a day-by-day look at the activities of the Boston team after Tenney and Lowe shaved their mustaches.
Friday, October 1, 1897 to Sunday, October 3, 1897 – players travel home
–After Boston won the pennant in Brooklyn on September 30, 1897, key players were given a few days off. A newspaper report that “Tenney, Lowe, Long, Collins and Bergen have been allowed to go home and rest for the coming Temple Cup series with the Baltimores.” Collins returned to his home in Buffalo and missed the final game of the regular season on October 2. Manager Selee was quoted as saying: “Collins has not been home all year and I gave him a vacation.” Collins reportedly arrived in Buffalo on Friday, October 1, at noon. A newspaper said he looked “as brown as a berry,” and noted that Collins planned to play in a benefit exhibition game in Buffalo on Sunday before heading to Boston Sunday night. Info on players allowed to go home from The Sporting Life, October 9, 1897. Selee quote from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, October 3, 1897. Info on Collins arriving in Buffalo from the Buffalo Express, October 2, 1897.
Monday, October 4, 1897 – team in Boston
–The Temple Cup Series began with three consecutive games in Boston. Boston won game 1 on October 4. Monday’s game was played on “a mild Indian summer day” but ran long. Reports stated that the “game played until after sun down” with the last two inning played in near darkness. Tenney, Long, Lowe and Collins each played in game 1. After the game, the team attended an event at the Tremont Theatre in Boston in which they were presented the NL pennant. Info on Indian summer from the Indianapolis Journal, October 5, 1897. Info on game played in near darkness from the New York Journal, October 5, 1897. Info on theatre event from the Portland (ME) Daily Press, October 5, 1897.
Tuesday, October 5, 1897 – team in Boston
–Baltimore won game 2 in Boston in what was described as “perfect weather.” Tenney, Long, Lowe and Collins each played in game 2. Info on perfect weather from the New York Journal, October 6, 1897.
Wednesday October 6, 1897 – team in Boston
–Baltimore also won game 3 in Boston. Wednesday’s game was stopped in the 8th inning because of rain. A newspaper reported that when “a slight shower came up” the score was reverted back to how the game stood at end of the seventh inning. Tenney, Long, Lowe and Collins each played in game 3. Info on slight shower from the Indianapolis Journal, October 7, 1897.
Thursday, October 7, 1897 – team in Worcester, MA
–The two teams played a scheduled exhibition game in Worcester, MA, 50 miles from Boston. The game was won by Baltimore. Tenney, Long, Lowe and Collins all played in this game.
Friday, October 8, 1897 – team in Springfield, MA
–Another scheduled stop on their way to Baltimore. The two teams played an exhibition game in Springfield, MA, 90 miles from Boston. This game was also won by Baltimore.
Saturday, October 9 to Monday, October 11, 1897 – team in Baltimore
–The Temple Cup series finally resumed in Baltimore, and the Orioles won the cup by winning the next two games there on October 9 and October 11. Tenney, Lowe, Long and Collins each played in both of these games.
October 12 and October 13, 1897 – players head home
–After the deciding Temple Cup game in Baltimore on October 11, a newspaper reported that “at its conclusion both teams disbanded and many of the players left for their homes.” An assumption is that most players traveled home on October 12. One paper noted that Lowe “will take two-weeks’ rest in Pennsylvania now that the Temple Cup series are over, and then take charge of his hotel in Beaver Falls, Pa.” Instead of returning to Buffalo, Collins kept playing baseball. He joined the “All-America” team, a selection of NL stars who were to compete against Baltimore in a “trans-continental tour” of exhibition games. The All-America team first gathered in New York in early October 1897 and played games in Hoboken, NJ, on October 3, in Brooklyn on October 7, and in Weehawken, NJ, on October 10. Collins did not participate in these games because of the Temple Cup series. On October 12 and 13, it is possible the All-America team continued to practice in New York, and that Collins joined the team at this time. Info on players heading home from the Wheeling (WV) Intelligencer, October 12, 1897. Info on Lowe resting in Pennsylvania from The Sporting Life, October 16, 1897.
Thursday, October 14, 1897 – Collins in Frostburg, MD
–Collins played in his first exhibition game with the All-Americas in western Maryland, considered the first true stop on the trans-continental tour. Frostburg is 148 miles west of Baltimore. Collins then continued westward with the tour, which eventually ended in California in December 1897. Info on Collins playing in game at Frostburg from the Frostburg (MD) Mining Journal, October 16, 1897.
9) Making a final determination for the date of photo A.
—–October 4, 1897 to October 7, 1897
Based on the team’s post-season schedule outlined above, we can determine that photo A was taken at Chickering’s studio in Boston during the morning or early afternoon of October 4, 5 or 6, 1897, or during the morning of October 7, 1897, before the team boarded a train for Worcester. These were the only dates the four men were together in Boston after Tenney and Lowe had shaved their lips and before Collins went off to tour the country with the All-Americas.
10) But can we pinpoint it to a single day?
No, we can’t — but we can guess. We have stated that Lowe shaved his mustache after September 30, 1897. In the detail view of photo A below, we can see that Lowe had already started to grow his mustache back again. So how many days of hair growth is this? Four days? Five days? More? Less? One could speculate that photo A was taken on the morning of October 7, 1897. There, on this day, Bobby Lowe sits before the photographer’s lens with his infield brethren, wearing his mysterious uniform and his 5-day-old mustache. His pants were dirty from roaming the Boston infield the past three afternoons, and from the “slight shower” that took place during game 3. He wears his street shoes because his baseball shoes were already packed for the team’s trip to Worcester that afternoon. And life is good.
Rendering posted: January 20, 2021
Diggers on this uniform: Ed Morton, Ken Samoil, Tom Shieber,