1899 Boston (Bostons, Beaneaters)
Left: 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
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 by description Team: documented
Visual documentation on these uniforms:
Photo A
Dated July 1899. Left, montage of player portraits that included a team photo; right, portrait of player Clark, included in the montage. Based on the similarity in studio lighting and background, the majority of these portraits appear to have been made during the same session. Year of montage can be confirmed by the appearance of player Killen, who only played for Boston in 1899. Date of July 1899 can be suggested based on Killen in combination with the appearance of players Frisbee and Bailey, and also the 1899 Boston schedule. Frisbee and Bailey both joined Boston in late June 1899 while the team was on the road. Frisbee debuted on June 22, 1899, and Bailey on June 30, 1899. A month later Killen was released by the team on July 28, 1899. As the portraits in the montage were made by a Boston photographer, it can be suggested the images were taken between July 7 and July 20, 1899, a period when Boston played at home and when Killen, Frisbee and Bailey were together on the roster. Note that the portraits of Lewis, Collins and Hickman had slightly darker and less painterly backgrounds which may indicate that some of these portraits were made during different sessions. Players wore a white uniform in these portraits, with a large old-English B on the left breast. The shirt had a short run of lace ties. Five of the seventeen players wore their shirt collars styled up, including Clark, see detail view at right. A newspaper in 1899 confirmed the Boston home uniform was white in color and that the accent color was red, the team’s traditional color.
Top row, from left: T Lewis (NL 96-00, AL 01), C Stahl (NL 97-00, AL 91-06), K Nichols (90-01), B Hamilton (96-01) and F Killen (Bos 99, Was NL 99). Second row: G Stafford (Bos 98, 99, Was NL 99), M Bergen (96-99), (F Selee, mgr 90-01), H Duffy (AA 91, NL 92-00) and B Clark (99, 00). Third row: J Collins (NL 95-00, AL 01-07), B Lowe (90-01), F Tenney (94-07) and H Long (90-02). Fourth row: C Hickham (NL 97-99, AL 02) and C Frisbee (Bos 99, Wor EL 99). Fifth row: H Bailey (99, 00) and V Willis (98-05). Player IDs from montage. Years with team and debut dates of Frisbee and Bailey from baseball-reference.com. Killen release date and Boston schedule from retrosheet.org. Image scan from Heritage Auctions. Original photos by Elmer Chickering, Boston.
Dated July 1899. Detail view of the Boston team from photo A. The photo included the caption “Champions 1899,” signifying the team had won the NL championship in the previous year of 1898 and were therefore considered champions for the 1899 season. A close examination of the lace ties and collars worn by the players in this image suggests that the team photo and the player portraits in photo A were all made during the same session. Based on these portraits, a July 1899 date can be suggested for this session. Players wore a white uniform in this photo, with a dark belt and dark stockings. On the left breast was a large old-English B. Players wore shirts with a variety of sleeve lengths: short, three-quarter, and full. For reasons unknown, two players included in the portrait montage, C Frisbee (Bos 99, Wor EL 99) and H Bailey (99, 00), were not included in the team photo.
Top row, from left: K Nichols (90-01), B Clark (99, 00), F Killen (Bos 99, Was NL 99), V Willis (98-05), M Bergen (96-99), T Lewis (NL 96-00, AL 01) and C Hickham (NL 97-99, AL 02). Middle: F Tenney (94-07), J Collins (NL 95-00, AL 01-07), G Stafford (Bos 98, 99, Was NL 99), (F Selee, mgr 90-01), H Duffy (AA 91, NL 92-00), B Hamilton (96-01) and H Long (90-02). Front: B Lowe (90-01) and C Stahl (NL 97-00, AL 91-06). Player IDs from player portraits. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Image scan from wikipedia.com. Original photo by Elmer Chickering, Boston.
Dated July 1899. Another detail view of photo A, showing a close-up of the team photo. This detail view showed the lace ties on the shirt and the old-English B on the left breast. Note that the letters on the shirts were not all identical. This was most noticeable on the letter on the shirt of the player sitting in front.
Photo B
Dated July 1899. This team photo was taken at the same session as photo A. In this version, five players standing at far left (Clark, Bergen, Nichols, Killen and Willis) had been rearranged in a different order, and the two players sitting in the foreground (Lowe and Stahl) were repositioned in a reclining pose.
Top row, from left: B Clark (99, 00), M Bergen (96-99), K Nichols (90-01), F Killen (Bos 99, Was NL 99), V Willis (98-05), T Lewis (NL 96-00, AL 01) and C Hickham (NL 97-99, AL 02). Middle: F Tenney (94-07), J Collins (NL 95-00, AL 01-07), G Stafford (Bos 98, 99, Was NL 99), (F Selee, mgr 90-01), H Duffy (AA 91, NL 92-00), B Hamilton (96-01) and H Long (90-02). Front: B Lowe (90-01) and C Stahl (NL 97-00, AL 91-06). Player IDs and image from the Spalding Base Ball Guide 1900, which was published in April 1900 as a recap of the 1899 season. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Original photo by Elmer Chickering, Boston.
Photo C
Dated July 1899. Portrait of M Bergen (96-99), full view at left, detail view at right. Player wore a uniform that matched that shown in photo A. Based on the player’s lace ties, it can be determined that this photo was made on the same day as photo A. However, the player’s pose in this portrait does not match the portrait in the montage, suggesting multiple portraits of some players were produced. Detail view showed the old-English letter “B” on the shirt cut from a plush, thick fabric. Detail view also showed the stitching on the placket surrounding the lace ties. Player ID from photo. Years Bergen with team from baseball-reference.com. Image scan from the Boston Public Library. Original image by Elmer Chickering, Boston.
Photo D
Dated July 1899. Cabinet card of H Duffy (AA 91, NL 92-00), full view at left, detail view at right. Player wore a uniform that matched that shown in photo A. Based on the player’s lace ties, it can be determined that this photo was made at the same session as photo A. This image also confirms that full-length portraits were made of some of the players during this session. Detail view showed that the player wore low-cut shoes. Player ID from photo. Years Duffy with team from baseball-refence.com. Image scan from Robert Edward Auctions. Original image by Elmer Chickering, Boston.
Photos E & F
Left, dated July 1899, cabinet card of J Collins (NL 95-00, AL 01-07), and right, dated mid-August 1899 to October 1899, cabinet card of J Meekin (Bos 99, NY NL 99). Both players wore a uniform that matched the uniforms shown in the portrait montage, see photo A. The photo of Collins was also used in the portrait montage, however the image produced for this cabinet card may have had the background retouched. This same image of Collins, with yet another retouched background, was published in the Sporting News Supplement on September 2, 1899, further supporting the July 1899 photo date. The image of Meekin was not included in the photo montage from July 1899 as the player had not yet joined the team. Meekin was purchased on August 11, 1899 and only played for Boston in 1899. Player IDs from items. Years Collins and Meekin with team from baseball-reference.com. Collins image scan from Robert Edward Auctions. Meekin image scan from Heritage Auctions. Both original photos by Elmer Chickering, Boston.
Photos G & H
Dated April 20, 1899. These cartoons were published on this date as part of an “illustrated score card” of the Boston home opener on April 19, 1899. The cartoons depicted a uniform that had the city name displayed across the shirt and striped stockings. Newspapers reported that the Boston team wore their black road uniforms and red-and-black striped stockings for the home opener. Image scans from the Boston Globe, April 20, 1899. Research from Ed Morton.
Photo I
Dated 1890 to 1902, possibly 1899. Photo of H Long (90-02), full view at left, detail view at right. This photo may be a representation of the black uniform worn by Boston in 1899. Full view showed that the shirt had sleeve extensions with white buttons, and that the player wore a white turtleneck sweater under his shirt. The stockings appeared to be a solid dark color. Detail view showed that the city name was arched across the front of the shirt and that the shirt had lace ties. The cap was white or light-gray in color with a dark visor and four thin horizontal bands. If this was an image of the 1899 black uniform, the outfit differed from written descriptions in several ways. First, newspapers in February 1899 reported that the team planned to place a “scarlet English B” on the front of the black shirt, and one of these reports elaborated to say that the shirt would have a “cardinal English B on the shirt shield.” The photo above showed no old-English letter on the shirt and also no shirt shield. It is therefore possible the design of the shirt was changed after these pre-season reports were made and before the manufacturing process had started. Second, a game report from April 1899 stated that the team wore “red and black striped caps” with the black uniform. This may suggest that the player above was wearing his white home cap with the black road uniform when this photo was taken. Image and player ID from Sam Wallace, Atlanta Braves historian. Years Long with team from baseball-reference.com.
Written documentation on these uniforms:
February 1899: “Manager Selee decided yesterday on the color and styles of uniform to be worn by the Bostons next season. All [National] league clubs will wear white uniforms when at home. When traveling, the champions [i.e., Boston] will wear black pants and shirts, cardinal belts, black caps, blue coats with white pearl buttons, striped black and cardinal stockings. The Boston manager said the champions would be the envy of all league teams next season when they appeared on the diamond in full uniform.” From the Boston Globe, February 19, 1899. Research from Ed Morton.
February 1899: “In a letter to Ren Mulford of the Cincinnati Post, Manager Selee says the Bostons will wear gorgeous uniforms on the road next season. They will consist of stockings, black and scarlet stripes, pants black, shirt same, with scarlet English B, scarlet belt, scarlet cap with black trimmings, scarlet coat with pearl buttons and black trimmings.” From the Fall River (MA) Daily Globe, February 21, 1899. Research from Ed Morton.
February 1899: “The [Boston] manager has a weakness for departures in uniforms. The one this year to be used on the road will consist of cardinal and black striped stockings, black suits with cardinal trimmings and a cardinal English B on the shirt shield.” From The Sporting Life, February 25, 1899. Research from Chuck McGill.
March 1899: “Wilkes-Barre fans will recall the Rochester players’ uniforms of last season [1898]– the barber pole sort of colors. Boston decided to copy after them this year [1899].” From the Wilkes-Barre Record, Mach 7, 1899. Research from Ed Morton. This entry was in reference to the striped stockings the Boston team planned to wear.
March 1899: “Manager Selee has made some changes in the traveling uniforms of the Bostons. Black will be the predominant color, with trimmings of dark maroon. The stockings will have wide stripes of black and maroon, and the jackets will be of a dark maroon.” From the Detroit Free Press, March 15, 1899. Research from Ed Morton.
April 1899: “While the majority of the teams will continue to wear the conventional uniforms next season while at home–as required by [National] League rules—and gray abroad, there will be several reliefs from the usual monotony. […] The Bostons’ uniform will consist of black and scarlet stockings, pants black, shirts same, with scarlet English B, cloth belt, scarlet cap, with black trimmings, scarlet coat, with pearl buttons and black trimmings.” From the Independence (Kansas) Daily Reporter, April 15, 1899. Research from Don Stokes and Graig Kreindler.
April 15, 1899, Boston v. Brooklyn, at Brooklyn, home opener: “It was 3 o’clock when the players of both teams ambled out onto the field, and a wild call of welcome went up. […] The visitors, who entered by the gate to the right of the grand stand, were [attired] in red coats and sweaters, black pants, red and black striped stockings, and red and black striped caps. They were fifteen in number. Hanlon’s warriors, sixteen in number, entered by the gate at the left end of the grand stand, attired in […] white suits, gray coats, red stockings and white caps. Both teams strode off across the field, the locals proving themselves much better marchers, owing no doubt to the numerous dress rehearsals.” From the Brooklyn Citizen, April 16, 1899. Research from Ed Morton. A small portion of this newspaper scan was missing and several of the words in this transcription have been guessed at or omitted.
April 15, 1899, Boston v. Brooklyn, at Brooklyn, home opener: “Greeting for the teams. ‘Here they come! Look at the Bostons, all in black and pink! And the Brooklyns, all in white and red!’ […] The Bostons pulled off their scarlet blazers and ran onto the diamond for fifteen minutes of practice. Their uniforms were of black flannel with red trimmings, the stockings being striped black and red and the hats the same.” From the New York Sun, April 16, 1899.
April 17, 1899, Boston v. Brooklyn, at Brooklyn: “The [Boston] right fielder drove a hard one […] permitting the three corners to be occupied by wearers of maroon and black stockings.” From the Brooklyn Times Union, April 18, 1899.
April 19, 1899, Boston v. Brooklyn, at Boston, home opener: “The Bostons resembled the original Pittsburg[h] pirates in those black suits.” From the Boston Globe, April 20, 1899. Research from Ed Morton. This report suggested that Boston wore their road uniform for the home opener on Patriot’s Day. It was possible the team wore their black uniforms because of a wet field in Boston, however researcher Ed Morton has found that the newspaper described the grounds on this day as being in “splendid condition.”
April 1899: “The Boston traveling uniform is about the ugliest looking thing ever sprung on [National] League communities.” From The Sporting Life, April 29, 1899. This commentary was written by the newspaper’s Philadelphia correspondent. Research from Chuck McGill.
May 5, 1899, Boston v. Brooklyn, at Boston: “The champion Bostons gave their first informal at home yesterday at the South end grounds, and were dressed for the occasion in their brand-new white suits, with crimson trimmings.” From the Boston Globe, May 6, 1899. Research from Ed Morton.
May 5, 1899, Boston v. Brooklyn, at Boston: “The [Boston] locals made their first appearance in their new uniforms of white with red stockings and red visored caps. On the left breast of the shirt is a large English ‘B.’” From the New York Morning Telegraph, May 6, 1899. After the team wore their road uniform for the season home opener on April 19, see entry above, the Boston team wore their white uniforms for the first home series in May.
May 1899: “Superstitious people are inclined to attribute Boston’s ill-luck to those hideously somber traveling uniforms. Black uniforms have always been regarded as ‘hoodoos.’” From The Sporting Life, May 20, 1899.
Team genealogy: Boston 1871-1952
Boston was formed to enter the National Association (NA) in 1871. The NA was baseball’s first league, operating 1871-1875. Boston played in the NA in every year of the league’s existence and moved to the National League (NL) upon its start in 1876. Boston played in the NL from 1876 to 1952 and moved to Milwaukee for the 1953 NL season. Information from Paul Batesel, Players And Teams of the National Association, 1871-1875, from baseball-reference.com and from wikipedia.com.
1899 Boston summary
Uniform: home – white, red stockings
First worn: May 5, 1899, Boston
Photographed: July 1899
Described: May
Material:
Manufacturer:
Supposition:
Variations:
Other items:
Opening Day report: yes, April 19 v. Brooklyn
Uniform: road – black, striped stockings, worn at home in April
First worn: April 15, 1899, Brooklyn
Photographed: unspecified during period
Described: February-May 1899
Material: cloth belt
Manufacturer:
Supposition:
Variations: black cap
Other items: dark red jackets, red sweaters
Rendering posted: April 15, 2022
Diggers on this uniform: Chuck McGill, Don Stokes, Ed Morton, Graig Kreindler, Sam Wallace,