1897 Chicago (Chicagos, Colts)

This rendering is based on incomplete 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 this uniform:
None

Written documentation on this uniform:
March 1897: “President Hart of the Chicago club says that there will be no change in that team’s uniform this year.” From the Chicago Inter-Ocean, March 7, 1897. Research from Ed Morton.

May 1897: “[Chicago manager] Anson has sprung the latest innovation in baseball wearing apparel, in a garment for his men which looks more like a bath robe than anything else. It is called a ball player’s overcoat.” From the Detroit Free Press, May 4, 1897.

August 30, 1897, Chicago v. New York at New York: “Even though the visitors [Chicago] won, they made life miserable for Umpire [Bob] Emslie, kicking [i.e., arguing] over everything […] until [Chicago players] Everitt, Decker and Anson were each fined, and in the ninth inning the latter was put out of the game [while batting]. Anson had no extra players on hand in uniform, as the rules require. After waiting the limit for the player who should have taken Anson’s place to appear Emslie declared him out. […] When the visitors took the field, [Chicago pitcher, Danny] Friend, who was in citizen’s clothes, went to left field and then [New York manager] Joyce made a kick, as the rules require all players to be in uniform. […] As Joyce was still wrangling with Umpire Emslie, the latter called the game on account of darkness.” From the New York Clipper, September 4, 1897. Chicago won the game 7 to 5 in 8 innings.

Team genealogy: Chicago 1874-
Chicago reformed after the Great Fire of October 1871 and rejoined the National Association (NA) in 1874 and 1875 after a two-year absence. The NA was baseball’s first league, operating 1871-1875. Chicago joined the National League (NL) at its formation in 1876 and the team has played in the NL every year since 1876. Information from Paul Batesel, Players and Teams of the National Association, 1871-1875, from baseball-reference.com, and from wikipedia.