1899 Philadelphia (Philadelphias, Phillies)
This rendering is based on visual documentation for uniform style and incomplete 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 Team: documented
Visual documentation on this uniform:
Photo A
Dated mid-August 1899 to October 1899. Date range and year of photo determined by the appearance of player Goeckle, who only played with this team in 1899 and was signed to join the team on August 10, 1899. Players wore a white uniform in this photo, with darkish-colored stockings. The shirts had a letter “P” on the left breast, possibly positioned on a pocket, and the white caps had a colored brim. Both the letter and the brim were of a mid-tone color. Newspapers from early in 1899 said that the team planned to wear “white suits […] trimmed with green, the cap will be white with a green peak.” Players in the photo wore shirts with both short sleeves and 3/4-length sleeves. Seven of the sixteen players wore their collars styled up. One player in the front row wore a non-matching dark-colored cap.
Top row, left to right: A Orth (95-01), J Dolan (Phi 99, 00, Ric AtL 99), N Lajoie (NL 96-00, AL 01, 02, 15, 16), K Douglass (98-04), B Bernhardt (NL 99, 00, AL 01, 02) and W Piatt (NL 98-00, AL 01). Middle: E Delahanty (88, 89, 91-01), P Chiles (99, 00), E McFarland (97-01), (B Shettsline, mgr 98-02), M Cross (NL 98-01, AL 02-07), R Thomas (99-08, 10, 11), B Lauder (NL 98, 99, AL 01) and R Donahue (98-01). Front: C Fraser (Phi NL 99, 00, 02-04, AL 01), B Goeckel (Phi 99, WB AtL 99) and E Flick (NL 98-01, AL 02). 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 players with team from baseball-reference.com. Goeckle signing date from retrosheet.org. Original photo by H. Parker Rolfe, Philadelphia.
Dated mid-August 1899 to October 1899. Detail view of photo A. Detail view showed that the letter “P,” most likely positioned on a left breast pocket, may have varied slightly in form and color from shirt to shirt.
Photos B & C
Dated April 23, 1899. These photos were published in a newspaper on this date. Left, E Flick (NL 98-01, AL 02) and right, B Bernhardt (NL 99, 00, AL 01, 02). These photos were most likely taken at the Phillies’ home ground during a series of games with Brooklyn, which began on April 20, 1899. Players appeared to be wearing a uniform that matched that the previous season of 1898. The P” on both shirts appeared darker in color, larger in size and positioned higher on the shirt when compared to the shirt worn by players in the 1899 team photo, see photo A. Also the style of cap and the color of the brim on the cap seemed to match the 1898 cap more closely. Flick may have been wearing the 1898 road uniform and Bernhardt the 1898 home uniform. Years Flick and Bernhardt with team from baseball-reference.com. Images from the Philadelphia Inquirer, April 23, 1899. Research from Ed Morton.
Photo D
Dated April 23, 1899. This photo was published in a newspaper on this date and was most likely taken at the Phillies’ home grounds during a series of games with Brooklyn, which began on April 20, 1899. Players appeared to be wearing a uniform that matched that the previous season of 1898. The P” on the shirts appeared darker in color and larger in size. Additionally the color of the brim on the cap seemed to match the 1898 cap more closely. Image from the Philadelphia Inquirer, April 23, 1899. Research from Ed Morton.
Photo E
Dated late March 1900, showing uniforms from 1899 and other previous seasons. Photo of team taken in Charlotte, NC, during spring training. This photo was published in a newspaper on March 31. Year of photo confirmed by the appearance of player Ziegler, who only played for Philadelphia in 1900. Date of “late March” determined by the appearance of player Maul, who arrived at spring training on March 22 and by the fact that this photo was published on March 31. Players wore a mix of Philadelphia home and road uniforms in this photo from previous seasons. At least four uniforms showed a shirt with a square-serif letter “P” on the left breast. Several team sweaters can also be seen, as well as, a dark cap in the right corner of the foreground. The sweater at left featuring wide color bands may have been Philadelphia’s green and white sweater from the 1899 season.
Top row, from left: P Chiles (99, 00), J Dolan (99-01), W Piatt (98-00), A Maul (87, 00), K Douglass (98-04), B Bernhard (99, 00), L Mahaffey (dnp 00), N Lajoie (96-00), A Orth (95-01) and M Cross (98-01). Middle: C Ziegler (Phi 00, Syr El 00, Alb NYSL 00, Phi AtL 00), E McFarland (97-01), (B Shettsline mgr 98-02), R Donohue (98-01), E Flick (98-01), E Delahanty (88, 89, 91-01) and C Fraser (99-00). Front: M Murphy (98, 00), R Thomas (99-08), J Slagle (00, 01) and F Jacklitsch (00-02, 07-10). Image and player IDs (not shown) from the Philadelphia Record, March 31, 1900. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Info on Maul arrival from The Sporting Life, March 24, 1900. Image scan from Ed Morton.
Photos F, G & H
Published September 1900, photos from 1899. These portraits were printed in a newspaper in September 1900, but were detail views from the 1899 Philadelphia photo, see photo A above. From left: N Lajoie (96-00), E Delahanty (88, 89, 91-01) and P Chiles (99, 00). The Delahanty portrait has been flopped from the original image. The image of Chiles has had a dark background added. This image also showed a good view of the white cap with horizontal bands. The bands were most likely green in color. Images and player IDs of Lajoie and Delahanty from the Philadelphia Inquirer, September 11, 1900. Image and player ID of Chiles from the Philadelphia Inquirer, September 27, 1900. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Image scans from Ed Morton.
Written documentation on this uniform:
February 1899: “Manager Shettsline yesterday [February 15] mailed contracts to all the Philadelphia CLub players. In each envelope was also placed a measurement blank which is to e filed out and sent back immediately, so that the contract for uniforms can be given out before March 1. Manager Shettsline has not yet decided upon the combination of colors for the uniforms and would be glad to receive suggestions. ‘Shetts’ fancies a bottle green and white combination, which would make for a very pretty effect.Æ From the Philadelphia Record, February 16, 18999. Research from Ed Morton.
February 1899: “The Phillies will be seen on the diamond this season in new colors. Manager Shettsline, adhering to his original idea of bottle green and white combination, has given out the contract to Strawbridge & Clothier for the suits. The white suits will be trimmed with green, the cap will be white with a green peak and bands and the stockings will be two-inch stripes of white and green.” From The Sporting Life, March 4, 1899. Research from Ed Morton, Matt Albertson and Chuck McGill. Portions of this report derived from the Philadelphia Record, February 23, 1899. Record research from Ed Morton. It is possible the green-and-white striped stockings were never produced. The uniform manufacturer, Strawbridge & Clothier, was a department store founded in Philadelphia in 1868.
March 1899: “A baseball enthusiast yesterday send Lajoie a very pretty coat for his pet bulldog mascot. It is made out of white flannel, with bottle-green trimmings, with the letter ‘P’ on the breast, and a beautiful green ribbon bow to be placed around the neck.” From the Philadelphia Record, March 14, 1899. Research from Ed Morton.
March 1899: “The new uniforms are trimmed in green, yet Shettsline is not, strictly speaking, a name with which a Celt would conjure. Can it be possible that the Colonel lent the color suggestion?” from the Philadelphia Inquirer, March 17, 1899. Research from Matt Albertson.
March 1899: “Charlotte, N.C., March 17. — In fitting commemoration of the day [St. Patrick’s Day], the Phillies burst upon the startled natives this morning [at spring training] in their new sweaters trimmed with green. The collar is of a hue the like of which has never been seen this side of Ireland, and then, to accentuate it, there is a band of green running all the way round. Altogether white and emerald make a striking combination.” From the Philadelphia Inquirer, March 18, 1899. Research from Matt Albertson, and also from Todd Radom.
April 14, 1899, Philadelphia v. Washington, at Philadelphia, opening day: “The Phillies were attired in their immaculate white uniforms, trimmed with a delightful shade of pea green, while the Senators looked particularly neat in their drab suits with black trimmings.” From the Philadelphia Times, April 15, 1899. Research from Don Stokes.
April 14, 1899, Philadelphia v. Washington, at Philadelphia, opening day: “It was a pretty sight as the 17 men in white and green and 16 in gray marched across the field and wheeled toward the flag pole.” From the Philadelphia Record, April 15, 1899. Research from Matt Albertson.
April 18, 1899, Philadelphia v. Washington, at Washington, National Park, home opener: “Both teams then went to the grounds, where after a short rest they will go on the diamond for the usual practice before the game starts at 4:30. While the teams were down town [sp] their photographs were taken.” From the Washington (DC) Star, April 18, 1899. Research from Ed Morton.
November 1899: “It was a merry party. […] The occasion being the presentation of a handsomely embossed pipe to Napoleon Lajoie, the Phillies’ great second baseman. […] Lajoie’s initials, set in, are on either side, while at the base are last season’s colors of the Philadelphia home uniform in enamel – white and green.” From The Sporting Life, November 25, 1899. Research from Ed Morton.
Team genealogy: Philadelphia 1882-
Philadelphia was formed to play in the League Alliance (LA) in 1882. The team joined the National League (NL) in 1883. The NL began operation in 1876 and Philadelphia has played in the league every year since 1883. Information from wikipedia.com and Robert D. Warrington.
1899 Philadelphia summary
Uniform: home – white, black stockings, green accents
First worn:
Photographed: mid-August or after
Described: February-April
Material:
Manufacturer: Strawbridge & Clothier, Philadelphia
Supposition:
Variations: may have worn the 1898 road uniform in late April, may have worn green and white striped stockings
Other items: white sweaters with green bands
Opening Day report: yes, April 14 v. Washington
Rendering posted: March 26, 2021
Diggers on this uniform: Chuck McGill, Don Stokes, Ed Morton, Matt Albertson, Todd Radom,