1897 Washington DC (Washingtons, Senators)
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
Right: 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 rendering.
Rendering accuracy:Year: documented Team: documented
Visual documentation on these uniforms:
Photo A
Dated April 1897. Year of photo confirmed by the appearance of players Reilly, Ashe and Kimble. Reilly only played for Washington in 1897 and Ashe and Kimble never played for Washington. An April 1897 date for this photo can be determined by players Ashe, Kimble and Lush, all of whom were released from the team shortly before May 4, 1897. Players wore a white uniform in this photo with dark belts and stockings. Newspapers reported in early 1897 that the Washington home uniform was cream in color with black stockings. The “W” on the shirt was also dark in color and utilized a square-serif letter form. This differentiated from the letter on the uniform from previous years, which utilized a sans-serif letter form. The uniform of player Kimble, sitting middle row far left, was light gray in color and displayed a sans-serif letter W, possibly indicating that he wore the road uniform from the previous season of 1896 in this photo. A newspaper in March 1897 reported that “during the practice season and the exhibition games the Senators will wear their last season’s uniforms.”
Top row, from left: C Reilly (97), E Cartwright (94-97), D McJames (95-97), A Maul (Was 93-97, Bal 97), C Swaim (97, 98), D Farrell (93, 96-99), S Ashe (dnp, New NEL 97, Tau NEL 97), T Brown (95-98) and L German (Was 96, 97, Buf EL 97). Middle row: J Kimble (dnp, Col WL 97), D McGuire (Was AA 91, NL 92-99), (G Schmelz mgr 94-97), W Mercer (Was NL 94-99, AL 01), B Lush (Was 95-97, Tor EL 97) and E Norton (Was 96, 97, Tor EL 97). Front: G DeMontreville (95-97), J O’Brien (96, 97), K Selbach (NL 94-98, AL 03, 04), C Abbey (93-97) and Z Wrigley (96-98). Player IDs and image from the Spalding Base Ball Guide 1898, published at the start of the 1898 season as a review of the 1897 season. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Ashe, Kimble and Lush release info from The Sporting Life, May 4, 1897. Original image by Moses P. Rice, Washington.
Dated April 1897. Detail view of photo A. Detail view showed the square-serif letter on the shirt running across the shirt opening. One of the shirts white buttons was positioned on the letter. The uniform also featured a shirt pocket.
Photos B & C
Left, dated 1896 to 1898, portrait of Z Wrigley (96-98), and right, dated April 1897, portrait of S Ashe (dnp, New NEL 97, Tau NEL 97). In both portraits, players wore a uniform similar to the one shown in the team photo from April 1897, see photo A. It was possible both portraits were made at the same session as the team photo. Player Ashe practiced with the Washington team throughout April 1897 and was sent to the Newport team of the New England League, arriving there on May 8, 1897. Both portraits also showed players wearing a dark colored “newsboy” style cap. Years with team and Wrigley image from baseball-reference.com. Identity of player Ashe from Carson Lorey. Image scan of Ashe from Ken Samoil. Info on Ashe practicing with Washington in April from The Sporting Life, May 8, 1897. Info on Ashe arriving in Newport from The Sporting Life, May 15, 1897. Original photo of Ashe by Moses P. Rice, Washington.
Photo D
Dated March 28, 1897. This cartoon illustration was published on this date and featured caricatures of the entire team. The cap and the “W” on the uniform depicted in these drawings did not match that shown in photos A, B & C. Note that only the shortstop, third baseman and catcher were depicted wearing fielding gloves. Also note the square home plate. Players were identified as follows: 1 – W Mercer, 2 – D McGuire, 3 – E Cartwright, 4 – J O’Brien, 5 – G DeMontreville, 6 – C Reilly, 7 – K Selbach, 8 – T Brown, 9 – B Lush, 10 – C Swaim, 11 – D McJames, 12 – G Schmelz mgr, 13 – L German, 14 – S King , 15 – C Abbey, 16 – D Farrell, 17 – A Maul and 18 – S Ashe. Image from the Washington (DC) Morning Times, March 28, 1897. Image scan from Ken Samoil.
Dated March 28, 1897. Detail view of photo B. Detail view showed that the players were depicted wearing a white uniform, a dark cap with a rounded crown featuring a white “W” above the bill, and dark stockings. The shirts were depicted as having a sans-serif letter, which did not match the new uniforms from 1897, see photo A.
Photo E
Published February 5, 1898, based on a photo taken between 1895 and 1897. Drawing of G DeMontreville (95-97), full view at left, detail view at right. Drawing featured a cap that was similar in style to other portraits made in 1897. Image and player ID from The Sporting Life, February 5, 1898. Years DeMontreville with team from baseball-reference.com.
Written documentation on these uniforms:
March 1897: “Manager Schmelz received yesterday the uniforms that the players will wear during the coming championship season. The white knickerbockers, shirt, and black stockings will be worn in the games at home, and gray, with black hosiery, will be the colors of the road uniform, the same colors as last season. These uniforms will not be worn ‘till the inaugural game with Brooklyn on April 22. During the practice season and the exhibition games the Senators will wear their last season’s uniforms.” From the Washington Post, March 22, 1897. Research from Dan O’Brien.
March 1897: “A local photographer persuaded the team to dress up in last season’s uniforms [from 1896] and group themselves with the grand stand as a background. Swaim was in the center of the group, Farrell and Brown were on Swaim’s right and Ashe and Cartwright on his left. All of these men are above average as to height, but Swaim towered above them fully six inches. On the second line were Johnny O’Brien, McGuire, Mercer, Kimball, Reilly, Lush, Norton, Abbey and German, and on the third line Selbach, Demontreville and Wrigley. The weather was perfect and the indicators are that a fine group picture will be secured. […] The school let out and Manager Schmelz distributed the new uniforms to the players. The home uniform will be white with black trimmings, and the traveling uniform gray with black trimmings. The players who had brought their bicycles with them were in luck, as they placed the big uniform boxes in front of them and peddled serenely away, while the unlucky ones had an armload while walking against the wind to their homes.” From the Washington (DC) Evening Star, March 25, 1897. Research from Ed Morton. Baseball-reference.com listed Swaim at 6’6” tall. The Sporting Life on April 3, 1897, said that “Hillary Swain, the Senators new pitcher, is the tallest man in the League. He stands 6 feet 5 inches in his stockings.”
March 1897: “The new uniforms were distributed to the players by Manager Schmelz. The at-home suits are cream-colored with black trimmings, and the traveling garb is cadet gray with midnight finishings–cap, belt and stockings.” From the Washington (DC) Morning Times, March 26, 1897. Research from Don Stokes and Graig Kreindler. This same report was published later in the day in the Washington (DC) Times, March 26, 1897. Research from Ed Morton.
March 1897: “The [Washington] club’s new uniforms are on exhibition at Spaldings’. As in former years, they consist of white shirts and pants, with black stockings and trimmings, for the home games, while for the campaign abroad the boys will sally forth in a neat gray uniform with black trimmings. The sweaters are black and, like the shirts, are adorned with a big ‘W.’” From The Sporting Life, March 27, 1897. Research from Chuck McGill and from Ed Morton.
April 1897: “President McKinley displayed his interest in the national game today by stopping the flow of office seekers into his office at the White House while he received the officers and players of the Washington Base Ball Club, accompanied by President Young of the National League. […] As the club filed into the private room of the chief magistrate they all lined up in a semi-circle. […] The President had quite a little chat with [Washington]] Manager Schmelz when the latter recalled the fact that in 1892, while Governor of Ohio, the President had thrown the first ball into the diamond for the Columbus club, of which he was then manager, and that the club had won the championship of the Western League. The action of the President at that time was a good omen and Manager Schmelz intimated that the same office, if performed by the President for the Washington club at the opening of the championship race next Thursday [April 22, 1897], might land the Senators the winners in 1897. The President smiled and replied that he remembered the incident very well indeed, and that if he saw his way clear he would repeat the performance at National Park Thursday.” From the Washington (D.C.) Evening Star, April 17, 1897. William McKinley (1843-1901) began his first term as U.S. President on March 4, 1897.
April 22, 1897, Washington v. Brooklyn, at Washington D.C., National Park, home opener: “[Washington captain] Tom Brown’s boys, in immaculate costumes, were assured of hearty support. […] The press of public business prevented President McKinley from attending. The neat little box provided especially for his use was the cynosure for many eyes during the afternoon, and not a few were disappointed because of the gentleman’s absence.” From the Washington (D.C.) Times, April 23, 1897.
July 1897: “Photographs […] were always considered jonahs [i.e., bad luck] for ball players. Of the 21 Senators appearing in the club photo taken last spring [in 1897] fully one-third have gone by the board.” From The Sporting Life, July 3, 2897.
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: November 7, 2020
Diggers on this uniform: Carson Lorey, Chuck McGill, Dan O'Brien, Don Stokes, Ed Morton, Ken Samoil,