1897 Philadelphia (Philadelphias, Phillies)
Left: This rendering is based on written documentation for uniform style and color. No visual documentation is known and an artist’s conceptualization is used to create the renderings.
Rendering accuracy:Year: documented Team: documented
Right: 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
Visual documentation on these uniforms:
Photo A
Dated September 16, 1897. This illustration was published on the cover of Leslie’s Weekly on this date. Full view of cover on left, detail view of illustration on right. The details of the scene, illustrated from several photos, were described in the caption: “Base-Ball at the Polo Grounds, New York. The studies for this photo-mosaic were made during a recent game between the New Yorks and the Philadelphias. The picture shows [Nap] Lajoie of the Philadelphias at the bat. [Jack] Warner of the New Yorks is catching, while [Thomas] Lynch is serving as umpire.” The publication then made the following commentary: “Base-ball has attracted much attention this season, but some disgust has been occasioned by the quarreling and the rowdyism among the players. Decent people will not long support a game in which such indecent practices are continued.” Before the September 16 publish date, Philadelphia had played only three games at New York all season, on August 16, 17 and 18, 1897. According to box scores from this series, both Lajoie and Warner played in all three games, and Lynch umpired in all three games as well. Lajoie (96-00) wore the Philadelphia road uniform in this illustration, described by a newspaper in early 1897 as being “steel gray” in color and with a “maroon P” on the pocket. The cap was described as gray and featured a maroon visor. Lajoie also wore pants with quilted padding. Lajoie and Warner info from baseball-reference.com. Lynch info from wikipedia.com. Series box scores from the New York Clipper, August 21 and 28, 1897. Image scan from Carson Lorey. Year Lajoie with Philadelphia (NL) from baseball-reference.com. Original illustration by Lewis L. Roush, New York. Roush was known for creating “photo drawings,” described as “elegant hybrids” combining illustration with photography. Rouch info from The Amateur Photographer and Photographic News, Volume 48, November 10, 1908.
Dated September 16, 1897. Detail view of photo A. Detail view showed the Philadelphia road cap, which was described by a newspaper in 1897 as being gray in color. The cap was in the pillbox style and was described as having a maroon visor and “band.” The band, a thick ring of color at the base of the cap, was clearly rendered in this illustration.
Photo B
Dated August 25, 1897. This illustration was published as a column header in a Philadelphia newspaper on this date. Full view at left, detail view at right. The illustration depicted a Philadelphia uniform with the abbreviation “Phila” across the chest. This rendering did not match newspaper descriptions of the Philadelphia National League uniforms from this year. Image scan from the Philadelphia Times, August 25, 1897. Research by Ed Morton.
Photo C
Published May 21, 1898, made from a photo dated 1896 to May 1898. Drawing of N Lajoie (96-00), full view at left, detail view at right. Player was depicted wearing a pillbox-style cap with three thin horizontal bands, and a shirt that featured a pocket, as well as a collar that matched the color of the shirt. These features closely matched the rendering of Lajoie shown above in photo A, and do not match documentation on the 1896 or 1898 uniform. This suggests that the rendering was a depiction of the 1897 uniform. Image and player ID from The Sporting Life, May 21, 1898. Years Lajoie with team from baseball-reference.com.
Written documentation on these uniforms:
March 1897: “An innovation in the [Philadelphia] team’s apparel this year will be natty coats of fancy design which will replace the customary sweaters. With the white uniforms, which will be worn on the home grounds, white coats trimmed with red will be worn, while gray coats will be used with the traveling uniforms of that color.” From the Philadelphia Times, March 3, 1897. Research from Ed Morton
March 1897: “The contract for the Phillies’ uniforms was given out yesterday, and away from home they will appear in the following attire: steel-gray shirts and pants, with a maroon P on the pockets of the shirts; the old-style Chicago cap, gray with maroon trimmings (visor and band); maroon stockings and belt. The home uniforms will be white, as usual, trimmed probably with maroon. The sweaters will be maroon, with extra large white collars.” From the Harrisburg Telegraph, March 5, 1897, research from Don Stokes. The exact same description appeared in The Sporting Life, March 6, 1897, research from Ed Morton and from Chuck McGill, and in the Chicago Inter-Ocean, March 7, 1897, research from Ed Morton.
March 1897: “The Phillies’ visiting uniforms will be the red and maroon affairs of last year [1896].” From the Louisville Courier-Journal, March 11, 1897. This same report was published in the Chicago Inter-Ocean, March 14, 1897. Research on both from Ed Morton.
1897, referenced in March 1898: “The new [Philadelphia] traveling uniforms [of 1898] are gray, as last year [1897], with black stockings and trimmings, instead of red.” From The Sporting Life, March 26, 1898. Research from Chuck McGill.
Team genealogy: Philadelphia 1882-
Philadelphia was formed to play in the League Alliance (LA) in 1882. The team joined the National League (NL) in 1883. The NL began operation in 1876 and Philadelphia has played in the league every year since 1883. Information from wikipedia.com and Robert D. Warrington.
Rendering posted: May 16, 2020
Diggers on this uniform: Carson Lorey, Chuck McGill, Don Stokes, Ed Morton,