1899 Baltimore (Baltimores, Orioles)
These renderings are 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 renderings.
Rendering accuracy:Year: documented Team: documented
Visual documentation on this uniform:
Photo A
Dated August 1899 or early October 1899. Year of photo determined by the appearance of players Crisham, LaChance, Smith, Harris and McKenna, all of whom only played for Baltimore in 1899. Date of August 1899 can be suggested by the appearance of players DeMontreville and McGraw. DeMontreville, who played with Baltimore in 1898, was traded from Chicago back to Baltimore on August 2, 1899. McGraw had to leave the team on August 27, 1899, when it was reported that “at the end of the game McGraw was called away by the serious illness of his wife.” Historian Don Jensen wrote that “in late August McGraw’s wife, Mary (Minnie), died from a ruptured appendix” and that McGraw “missed much of September.” After an extended absence, McGraw’s first game back was September 21, 1899. Baltimore played at home between August 8 and August 19, 1899, and as the team photo was taken by a Baltimore photographer it could be suggested the image was made during this time. The photo could also have been made at the end of the season in early October 1899, after McGraw had returned to the lineup and when Baltimore played at home between September 27 and October 7. Players wore a light gray uniform in this photo, with dark stockings. The shirts had a letter “B” on the button placket and also a pocket on the left breast. The caps were dark in color and had a rounded crown. Four of the sixteen players in this photo wore a light gray shirt without a letter on the placket. This may have been the team’s home uniform. Newspapers described the Baltimore home uniform as having “no lettering,” however this uniform was also described as white, not light gray.
Top row, from left: J Nops (NL 96-99, AL 01), J McGinnity (NL 99, AL 01, 02), P Crisham (99), G LaChance (99), H Howell (NL 99, AL 01, 02) and F Kitson (98, 99). Middle: D Holmes (98, 99), A Smith (99), S Brodie (NL 93-96, 98, 99, AL 01), J McGraw (AA 91, NL 92-99 AL 01, 02), W Robinson (AA 90, 91, NL 92-99, AL 01, 02), C Harris (99) and K McKenna (99). Front: D Fultz (Bal 99, Phi NL 99), G DeMontreville Bal (98, 99, Chi NL 99) and B Keister (99, 01). Player IDs from another print of this image where names had been added by hand. This print also included the hand-written caption: “Absent: J Sheckard.” Another print of this image included the words: “Jimmy Sheckard R.F. Absent.” Years players with team from baseball-reference.com. DeMontreille trade date from retrosheet.org. Date of McGraw leaving team from The Sporting Life, September 2, 1899. Info on Minnie McGraw from Don Jensen, SABR BioProject: John McGraw, retrieved February 21, 2021. Baltimore home dates in 1899 from retrosheet.org. Image scan from Ken Samoil. Original photo by John Betz, Jr., Baltimore.
Dated August 1899 or early October 1899. Detail view of photo A. Detail view showed that the left edge of the letter “B” aligned with the edge of the shirt opening. On some of the uniforms, the letter was partially overlapped by white shirt buttons. The postion of these button varied slightly on each uniform. Detail view also showed that the pants had three front-facing belt loops, instead of one single front loop and two loops at the hips, which had been the standard for baseball pants for several decades.
Photo B
Dated August 1899 or early October 1899. Photo of J McGraw (AA 91, NL 92-99 AL 01, 02) and W Robinson (AA 90, 91, NL 92-99, AL 01, 02) at left, detail view at right. Based on the similarity in lighting and studio background, this image was most likely made at the same time as the team photo, see photo A. This can be further suggested by the identical dirt smudge on McGraw’s right shirt sleeve found in both photos. Note that McGraw wore sleeve extensions in this photo, while Robinson wore short sleeves and a white undershirt. The subtle difference between the Robinson’s light gray uniform and white undershirt can be seen in this image.
Photos C & D
Dated 1899. Two Sporting News Supplements featuring photos on the covers that had been taken in other years. Neither image was made in 1899. At left, image of W Robinson (AA 90, 91, NL 92-99, AL 01, 02), issued on May 27, 1899, and featuring a photo taken in 1897. At right, image of G DeMontreville (Bal 98, 99, Chi NL 99), issued September 9, 1899, and featuring an image taken in 1898.
Written documentation on this uniform:
March 1899: “Up to the time of the opening of the season [Brooklyn manager] Hanlon reserves the right to change the teams as he sees fit, but after the season opens the Baltimores and Brooklyns will be two separate and distinct clubs. The uniforms of the two clubs have been ordered, and will be exactly alike. The home uniform will be white, with maroon trimmings, and will have no lettering whatsoever. As a traveling uniform, the teams will have gray trimmed with maroon. The hats ordered were designed after Hanlon’s suggestions and will have a peak just a little smaller than a jockey’s cap.” From the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, March 12, 1899. Research from Don Stokes. In early 1899 Baltimore ownership purchased control of the Brooklyn team. Long-time Orioles manager Ned Hanlon became the Brooklyn manager for the 1899 season, however also continued to perform as president for the Baltimore team. After the Daily Eagle report appeared, a Baltimore paper wrote that Hanlon would let Baltimore manager John McGraw make the selection of the Orioles’ trim color, and that McGraw “decided to adopt black as the color of the stockings, belts and trimmings of the Oriole uniforms.” See entries below.
March 1899: “While in New York, [Brooklyn] Manager Hanlon ordered uniforms for both teams [Brooklyn and Baltimore]. Both teams will wear white at home and gray away from home, and both will wear a big ‘B’ on the pocket of the left breast. The uniform caps will be alike in shape and make-up, although the color of the trimmings will, perhaps, differ. […] Mr. Hanlon will leave the question of color for stockings, etc., for the Orioles to Manager McGraw. Instead of sweaters both teams will this year wear gray coats, which will have maroon cord and tassel.” From the Baltimore Sun, March 13, 1899. Research from Ed Morton.
March 1899: “Manager McGraw yesterday [March 13, 1899] decided to adopt black as the color of the stockings, belts and trimmings of the Oriole uniforms, and [Brooklyn] Manager Hanlon wired the makers, in New York, to that effect. The Brooklyns will have maroon instead of black.” From the Baltimore Sun, March 14, 1899. Research from Charles Bard.
March 1899: “Manager McGraw yesterday [March 15, 1899] visited Union Park [in Baltimore] to get some of the old uniforms for practice in the South and found that nearly everything of value, portable, either in the clubhouse or grounds, had been stolen since the death of the late ground-keeper. The locks of the clubhouse had been broken and taken away, not a uniform was to be found and the only thing left was some bats.” From the Baltimore Sun, March 16, 1899. Research from Peter Reitan.
March 1899: “Some time ago a thief broke into the club house at Union Park [in Baltimore] and stole all the uniforms, bats and old balls belonging to the Baltimore Club. The city detectives were placed on the case and Saturday they notified Manager McGraw that all material had been recovered.” From The Sporting Life, March 25, 1899.
June 1899: “Short stop [George] Magoon arrived in Baltimore Thursday from his home in Massachusetts, and was out on the coaching lines in uniform in yesterday’s game.” From The Sporting Life, June 17, 1899. Magoon suffered an ankle injury in a game on May 20 and was still recovering and unable to play when he rejoined the Baltimore team in June.
Team genealogy: Baltimore 1882-1899
Baltimore joined the American Association (AA) in 1882. The AA was a major league operating 1882-1891. Baltimore played in the AA from 1882 to 1889 and then joined the Atlantic Association, a minor league, for the 1890 season. The team rejoined the American Association in late 1890 when the Brooklyn AA team failed. Baltimore played in the American Association for the 1891 season and when the AA folded, Baltimore was added to the National League (NL) for the 1892 season. The NL began operation in 1876. Baltimore played in the NL from 1892 to 1899. After the 1899 season, Baltimore was dropped by the league and the team disbanded. Information from wikipedia.
1899 Baltimore summary
Uniform: light gray, black stockings
First worn:
Photographed:
Described: March
Material:
Manufacturer:
Supposition:
Variations: wore 1898 uniforms in Spring training
Other items: gray coat
Opening Day report: no, April 15 v. New York
Uniform: light gray with letter, black stockings
First worn:
Photographed: August or after
Described: March
Material:
Manufacturer:
Supposition:
Variations: wore 1898 uniforms in Spring training
Other items: gray coat
Rendering posted: February 24, 2021
Diggers on this uniform: Charles Bard, Don Stokes, Ed Morton, Ken Samoil, Peter Reitan,