1899 Kansas City (Kansas Citys, Blues)

This rendering is based on visual documentation for uniform style and written documentation for color. Some 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-May 1899 to mid-July 1899. Year of photo determined by the appearance of players Boyle, Gettman, Reilly, Wilson and Hulen, all of whom only played for Kansas City in 1899. Date range of mid-May 1899 to mid-July 1899 determined by Hulen and by player Hastings. Hulen joined Kansas City after he was released from Washington in mid-May 1899, playing his first game for KC on May 21. Hastings was released by Kansas City and sent to Buffalo in mid-July 1899. This photo was most likely taken on the field in Kansas City. Charles H. Meyer, Kansas City superintendent, organized photos of Western League teams to be taken during the 1898, 1899 and 1900 seasons. The photo above included the mark of “Meyer” and “K.C. Mo.” in the bottom corner of the image. Most of these photos had a white sheet draped behind the players, similar to the above photo. The photographer of the images was not credited. At the end of the previous season of 1898, a Kansas City newspaper reported that Meyer had mass-produced “an album of photographs” for sale which was regarded as an “attractive souvenir of the [1898] base ball season.” Included in the album were “a group [picture] of the sixteen members of the Kansas City club,” as well as “group pictures of the other seven clubs in the league” and “a photograph of the Exposition park as seen from the outfield on September 20.” Meyers sold the souvenirs for $1.00. Players wore a dark uniform in this photo, with a dark belt and dark stockings. The shirt had white buttons and a “K-C” monogram on the left breast in lettering that was white or light blue. The cap was in the pillbox style with a series of subtle horizontal bands around the body of the cap. The shirt had short sleeves with buttonholes for sleeve extensions. One player standing third from left (partially hidden) wore a shirt with a larger monogram in comparison to the other uniforms shown. One player sitting in the middle of the front row wore a newsboy-style cap. At least two of the pants worn by players in this photo had quilted padding. Of the fourteen players in this photo, seven wore their collars styled up. A Kansas City newspaper in early 1899 described the team’s new uniform as “suits of the familiar blue color, with the letters K. C. on their shirts.”

Top row, from left: C Hastings (KC 94, 95, 99, 00, Buf WL 99), J Boyle (99), A Pardee (97-99), J Gettman (KC 99, Was NL 99), J Ganzel (99, 00, 18) and D Gear (97-00, 02-04). Middle, seated: R Egan (98, 99), C Reilly (99), F Raymer (99) and D Miller (99, 02, 03). Front, seated: J Rothfuss (99, 02-04), E Strickett (KC 99, RI WA 99) and W Wilson (99). On ground: B Hulen (KC 99, Was NL 99). Player IDs from photo frame. Years with team and date of Hulen first game from baseball-reference.com. Hulen release info from The Sporting Life, May 20, 1899. Hastings release info from The Sporting Life, July 22, 1899. Info on Charles Meyer from the Kansas City Times, October 13, 1898, with research from Ed Morton. Image scan from the Detroit Public Library, Ernie Harwell Collection.

Dated mid-May 1899 to mid-July 1899. Detail view of photo A. Detail view showed a row of white buttons down the front of the shirt and an attractive “K-C” monogram on the left breast. Several players in this photo wore a short-sleeved shirt with sleeve extensions that were secured by white buttons.

Written documentation on this uniform:
March 27, 1899, exhibition game in Kansas City: “The enthusiasm became even more general when the men of the Kansas City team, dressed in handsome new suits of the familiar blue color, with the letters K. C. on their shirts, ran out on the field for practice.” From the Kansas City Times, March 28, 1899. Research from Ed Morton.

April 1899: “The Victor Sporting Goods Company, of Springfield, Mass., is making quite a feature of uniforms. […] Among the more important clubs they have outfitted being the Philadelphia, New York, Detroit, St. Paul, Kansas City, Scranton and Reading Clubs.” From The Sporting Life, April 29, 1899.

May 1899: “The ladies of Kansas City have made and presented to the Kansas City Club a championship pennant, a handsome rich blue streamer, twenty-five feet in length, bearing in white letters the story of last season’s triumph.” From The Sporting Life, May 6, 1899.

May 1899: “A series of four games between Mr. Manning’s youngsters and the Foam Blowers from Milwaukee was completed at Exposition Park this afternoon [in Kansas City]. The Blues captured but one game.” From The Sporting Life, May 27, 1899. This entry stated the team nickname of “Blues,” a reference to the uniform color.

June 1899: “The Blues left this week on the first trip East.” From The Sporting Life, June 10, 1899. Another use of the team nickname.

August 1899: “After the [Western League] season closes in Buffalo, the Blues will remain intact and return for a series of games through Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma. For dates, write C. H. Meyer, base ball park, Kansas City, Mo.” From the Kansas City Times, August 28, 1899. Research from Ed Morton. This entry mentions both the team nickname and also Charles H. Meyers, the person who organized for photos of Western League teams to be taken in Kansas City during this period.

Team genealogy: Kansas City 1894-1900
Kansas City joined the Western League (WL) in 1894 when the league reformed. The reorganized WL operated between 1894 and 1899 and reformed again as the American League (AL) for the 1900 season. Kansas City played in the WL between 1894 and 1899 and in the AL in 1900. The team was dropped when the AL declared major-league status in 1901 and awarded the franchise to Washington DC. Information from wikipedia.com.