1899 Louisville (Louisvilles, Colonels)
This rendering is based on visual documentation for uniform style only. Color information is unknown and the uniform is rendered in values of gray. Minor details may also be undocumented or difficult to determine and an educated guess is made to complete the rendering.
Rendering accuracy:Year: documented Team: documented
Visual documentation on this uniform:
Photo A
Dated early April 1899. Year of photo determined by the appearance of players Phillipe and Woods, both of whom only played for this team in 1899. An early April 1899 date can be suggested by the appearance of players Waddell and Morrison. Waddell was loaned to Columbus of the Western League before the season started on April 14, 1899, and Morrison was loaned to the Ottumwa, IA, team of the Western Association before April 22, 1899. Players wore a white uniform in this photo, with dark stockings. The shirts had a large script letter on the right breast, and they also featured dark collars and long sleeves with dark cuffs. The cap had a rounded crown and was white in color with a dark-colored visor and a dark button on top. While the majority of players wore long sleeves in this photo, at least one player wore a shirt with short sleeves.
Thirteen players standing, from left: T Hartsel (Lou 98, 99, Ind WL 99), B Magee (Lou 97-99, Phi NL 99, Was NL 99), T Leach (98, 99), D Phillippe (99), B Cunningham (95-99), R Waddell (Lou 97, 99, Col/GR WL 99), H Wagner (97-99), G Decker (Lou 98, 99, Was NL 99), C Dexter (96-99), B Morrison (dnp, Ott WA 99), C Ritchey (98, 99), N Altrock (dnp, Osw NYSL 99) and P Dowling (97-99). Seven players sitting: M Kittridge (Lou 98, 99, Was NL 99), B Clingman (96-99), W Woods (99), F Clarke (94-99), D Powers (Lou 98, 99, Was NL 99), H Croft (Lou 99, Phil NL 99) and D Hoy (98, 99). Player IDs and image scan 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. Waddell loan info from baseball-reference.com. Morrison loan info from The Sporting Life, April 22, 1899. Original photo by Edward Klauber, Louisville.
Photo B
Dated early April 1899. This is the same photo as photo A, but in this version the original studio background had been removed by a retoucher and replaced with a flat tone. This version of the photo was published several times in newspapers in the 20th century. In one version, date of publish unknown, player Morrison was listed as Harry Davis (dnp, Was NL 99, Pro EL 99) and player Harry Croft was listed as Chick Frazier (dnp, Phi NL 99). In another printing, dated November 30, 1960, player Morrison as listed as Fred Ketchum (Lou 99, Cor NYSL 99). Researcher Justin Mckinney has discovered a woodcut of Fred Ketchum printed in the Independence Kansas Register on January 3, 1901 and the lack of similarity confirms that Ketcham was not in this Louisville team photo. When published, this version of the photo was attributed to the collection of R. G. Potter and was incorrectly dated as 1898. According to the University of Louisville Digital Collections, Richard G. Potter was a Louisville salesman and part-time photographer who collected local history photographs from the period 1880 to 1930, and who also took photos through to the 1960s. Potter copied and rephotographed historic images for use as decoration in Louisville businesses, hotels, and restaurants. Years players with team from baseball-reference.com.
Dated early April 1899. Detail view of photo B. Detail view showed the uniform’s dark collars and cuffs. Detail view also showed the team’s white cap with a dark visor and a dark button on top. The position of the button suggested the cap had a forward-tilting crown. Note that the large script letter “L” was not positioned exactly the same on each shirt.
Photos C & D
Dated April 25, 1899. These photos of two Louisville players were published in a newspaper on this day. Left, D Hoy (98, 99); center and right, C Ritchey (98, 99). The players wore a white cap in these photos, with thin dark trim on the vertical ribs of the body, and possibly a white brim. The trim on the ribs was similar to the 1898 Louisville cap, however the caps worn by Hoy and Richey in the photos above had a tight-fitting rounded crown. The 1898 cap was loose-fitting, see the Sporting News image of player/manager Clarke as reference below. Images and player IDs from the Louisville Courier-Journal, April 25, 1899. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Image scans from Ken Samoil.
Photos E & F
Dated April 1899. Portraits of Louisville players. Left, seven portraits published in the Louisville Courier-Journal on April 30, 1899. Clockwise from top left, D Phillippe (99), W Woods (99), H Croft (Lou 99, Phil NL 99), T Leach (98, 99), M Kittridge (Lou 98, 99, Was NL 99), G Decker (Lou 98, 99, Was NL 99) and T Hartsel (Lou 98, 99, Ind WL 99). Right, portrait of P Dowling (97-99) published in the Milwaukee Sentinel, February 18, 1900 per seamheads.com. The portraits of Phillippe, Woods, Croft and Dowling were all made in 1899 and it is likely all of these portraits were made during this year. Years with team from baseball reference. Courier-Journal scan from Ken Samoil.
Photos G & H
Dated 1899. Two portraits of Louisville players published in The Sporting Life. Left, portrait of D Phillippe (99), published on June 10, 1899, and right, portrait of T Leach (98, 99), published on August 12, 1899. Both portraits showed a uniform similar to that shown in the team photo from early April 1899, see photo A. It is possible these portraits were made at the same photo session. Player IDs from photos. Years players with team from baseball-reference.com.
Photo I
Dated March 24 to March 30, 1900. This is a spring training photo of the 1900 Pittsburgh team taken in Thomasville, GA, and in which ten players wore the uniform of the 1899 Louisville team. Year of 1900 confirmed by the appearance of players Woods, Flaherty, Latimer and O’Brien, all of whom only played for Pittsburgh in 1900. The date range of March 24 to March 30 can be determined by the details found in the photo, for more info on these, see the 1899 Pittsburgh page. The Louisville team had recently been dissolved at a National League meeting held March 7 to March 9, 1900, when league magnates contracted the circuit down to 8 teams. In the process the Louisville owner negotiated the transfer of select Louisville players to Pittsburgh in return for a stake in ownership of the Pirates. Of the ten Louisville uniforms shown in this photo, nine were light gray in color with a dark collar, and one, worn by manager Clarke, middle row fifth from left, was a white uniform with a dark collar. His shirt also had dark cuffs at the end of long sleeves. At least eight of the Louisville shirts featured a large script “L” on the right breast. This matched the uniform shown in the 1899 Louisville team photo above, see photo A. Newspapers in 1899 described the Louisville accent color as blue. This spring training photo also reveals that the 1899 Louisville cap had a small script “L” centered above the brim, see detail views below. Image scan from Getty Images/Transcendental Graphics, collection of Mark Rucker.
Dated March 24 to March 30, 1900. Three detail views of photo G. At left, unidentified; center, D Phillippe (99); and right, F Clarke (94-99). Each detail view showed what appears to be a small script “L on the front of the cap. The caps were white or light-gray in color and had a colored brim and a colored button on top. Caps of a similar style were also shown in the Louisville team photo above. Newspapers in 1899 described the Louisville accent color as blue. Player IDs and years with team from baseball-reference.com.
Dated March 24 to March 30, 1900. Another detail view of photo G. This detail view showed three light-gray Louisville uniforms with a large script L on the right breast. Note that the player in the top row center, W Woods (99), wore his shirt with the top three buttons left open. Interestingly, in the Louisville team photo above, see photo A, Woods wore his shirt in the same style — possibly predating Ronald Acuña, Jr., and Fernando Tatís, Jr., by about 120 years.
Photo J
Issued October 7, 1899, portrait of F Clarke (94-99), full view at left, detail view at right. This photo was published by The Sporting News on this date and featured a photo made during the previous season of 1898. This was not a photo of the 1899 Louisville uniform. Player ID from item. Years Clarke with team from baseball-reference.com.
Written documentation on this uniform:
February 1899: “The new [Louisville] uniforms have been ordered from Spalding.” From The Sporting Life, February 25, 1899.
March 1899: “The Colonels will wear their last year’s uniforms [of 1898] while at work [at spring training] at Thomasville [GA]. Manager Clarke has already ordered new uniforms for the men, but they will not arrive for a couple of weeks, and the Colonels will wear them for the first time on the opening day, April 15. Each player’s measure has been taken, and there will be no misfits. The uniforms will be made by Spalding, the order having been placed through Reccius & Bro., of this city. With the exception of the caps, the uniforms will be like those of last season [1898]. The home suits will be of white, with blue trimmings, while the visiting uniforms will be gray with blue trimmings.” From the Louisville Courier-Journal, March 16, 1899. Research from Chris Betsch.
March 1899: “The measurements for the Colonels’ new uniforms have been handed in and 18 of them will be ready for the opening exhibition game at home April 9. The uniforms will be white, trimmed with blue, with the letter L on the left breast of the shirt. The away-from-home uniforms will be gray, with the same trimmings. A steel gray double-breasted coat will be worn in place of sweaters.” From the Lexington Herald-Leader, March 16, 1899. Research from Don Stokes. Note that photographs of the 1899 Louisville team show the letter “L” on the player’s right breast, not the player’s left breast.
April 14, 1899, Louisville v. Chicago, at Louisville, home opener: “Both teams made a fine showing in their new uniforms.” From the Louisville Courier-Journal, April 15, 1899.
August 1899: “Inasmuch as all the home uniforms of the club were destroyed by the fire, permission has been granted [for Louisville] to play their home games in their gray or visiting uniforms.” From The Sporting Life, August 26, 1899. The grandstand of the Louisville ballpark was destroyed by a fire on August 12, 1899 while the team was on the road. The Sporting Life reported on August 19, 1899, that the fire originated “during a severe electrical storm.”
Team genealogy: Louisville 1870s-1899
Louisville began as Eclipse, a semi-pro team in Louisville formed in the late 1870s. As Eclipse, they joined the American Association (AA) at its formation in 1882. The AA was a major league operating between 1882 and 1891. Eclipse was known as Louisville by 1884 and the team played in the AA through the 1891 season. The team joined the National League (NL) in 1892 when the AA and NL merged, and was disbanded after the 1899 season when the NL contracted from twelve to eight teams. Information from wikipedia.com and Ken Samoil.
1899 Louisville summary
Uniform: home – white, blue stockings
First worn:
Last worn: destroyed in fire on August 12
Photographed: early April
Described: March
Material:
Manufacturer: Spalding
Supposition:
Variations: white cap with blue vertical ribbing and white visor in late April, wore 1898 uniforms at Spring training
Other items: gray double-breasted coat
Opening Day report: yes, April 14, Chicago
Uniform: road – light gray, blue stockings, worn both home and away after August 12
First worn:
Photographed: in March 1900 spring training as Pittsburgh
Described: March
Material:
Manufacturer:
Supposition:
Variations:
Other items:
Rendering posted: March 24, 2022
Diggers on this uniform: Chris Betsch, Don Stokes, Justin Mckinney, Ken Samoil,