1898 Buffalo (Buffalos, Bisons)

This rendering is based on visual documentation for uniform style and written documentation for color. Important 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 this uniform:

Photo A

Dated mid-June 1898 to mid-August 1898. Year of photo can be determined by the appearance of players Diggins and Brown, who only played together for Buffalo in 1898. The mid-June 1898 date can be determined by the appearance of player Amole, who played his first game for Buffalo on June 14, 1898. The mid-August 1898 date can be determined by the fact that this photo was published in a newspaper on August 14, 1898. Players wore a dark uniform in this photo, with a dark cap, a dark belt and dark stockings. The city name was arched across the chest in light-colored lettering. Player Amole, front row second from left, wore a cap of a different color than the rest of his teammates. Newspapers from early in the 1898 season described the Buffalo uniform as dark blue in color. This may be the uniform depicted in photo A. In these early reports there was conflicting information on the color of the stockings, one newspaper said red, another said white. Clearly the team was not wearing white stockings in photo A, which was taken in mid-season. Other uniform features described in early 1898 do not appear in photo A, namely a white star on the cap and a white stripe on the pant seams. It is possible the team had new uniforms made mid-season without these features.

Top row, from left: W Diggins (98, 99), F Shannon? (Buf 98, NB NEL 98), E Gremminger (96-99) and P Eagan? (Buf 98, Roc EL 98). Front row: B Urguhart? (92-98), D Amole (Buf 98, 00-02, Was NL 98), J Brown (97, 98), C Gray (97, 98, 00, 02), S Wise (95-98), J White (98, 99, 06-11) and S Griffin (Buf 87, 92-94, 98, Roc EL 98). Player IDs and image scan from Carson Lorey, who notes that certain identifications are difficult “due to the shadows and overall quality of the image.” Years with team and date of Amole’s first game with Buffalo from baseball-reference.com. Amole signing with Buffalo confirmed by The Sporting Life, June 25, 1898. Image from the Buffalo Courier, August 14, 1898.

Dated mid-June 1898 to mid-August 1898. Detail view of photo A. Detail view showed a dark uniform with the city name arched across the chest in light-colored lettering. The lettering was very similar in style to the Buffalo uniform from the following season of 1899.

Written documentation on this uniform:
February 1898: “At a recent meeting of the Eastern League […] Messrs. A. G. Spalding & Bros., […] secured an order to outfit the teams of the entire league with new uniforms.” From the Gazette Montreal, February 22, 1898.

March 1898: “The Bisons will not open the season with new uniforms. They will appear with the ‘dresses’ they closed last season with.” From the Buffalo Evening News, March 21, 1898. Research from Ed Morton.

April 28, 1898, Buffalo v. Syracuse, at Syracuse, home opener: “Possibly the uniforms of the Bisons had something to do with the listless game they played. They were uniformed like a batch of Gomez’s soldiers. It was hinted that they wanted to save their new ones and take them back to Buffalo clean.” From the Buffalo Courier, April 29, 1898. Máximo Gómez y Báez (1836-1905) was a noted general in Cuba’s War for Independence from Spain, 1895-1898.

May 1898: “The Bisons new uniforms are nearly finished and will probably be worn for the first time in the game with Montreal here on Monday [May 9, 1898]. The cap is blue with a white star on top and a red button in the center. The coats are red, the blouse and trousers of dark blue and the stockings are white. Nearly all of the teams are now wearing the National colors [of the U.S.]. It is now up to Manager Dooley of Montreal and Manager Irwin of Toronto to get in line.” From the Buffalo Enquirer, May 6, 1898. Research from Ed Morton.

May 9, 1898, Buffalo v. Montreal, at Buffalo, opening day: “The Bisons [appeared] in their natty new uniforms of blue with red stockings. The trousers have a white stripe down the seam.” From the Buffalo Express, May 10, 1898. Research from Ed Morton.

Team genealogy: Buffalo 1891-1900
Buffalo was a team formed to join the Eastern Association/League (EL) in 1891. The EL operated between 1891 and 1911, and became the International League in 1912. Buffalo played in the EL between 1891 and 1898 and transferred to the Western League (WL) in 1899. The reorganized WL operated between 1894 and 1899 and reformed again as the American League (AL) in 1900. Buffalo played in the WL in 1899 and in the AL in 1900. The team was then dropped when the AL declared major-league status in 1901 and awarded the franchise to Boston. EL information from Bill O’Neal, The International League (1992). WL information from wikipedia.com.