1887 Brooklyn (Brooklyns)

These renderings are based on visual documentation for uniform style and color. Important details may be undocumented or difficult to determine and an educated guess is made to complete the renderings.

Rendering accuracy:  Year: documented    Team: documented

Visual documentation on these uniforms:

Photo A

Dated early May 1887 or later. Old Judge baseball card of E Greer (Bro 87, Ath AA 87). Full view at left, detail view at right. Photo year determined by fact that 1887 was the only year Greer played for Brooklyn. Date range of early May or later determined by the fact that Greer joined the team on or before May 10. If this image and others from this session were made at the Brooklyn ballpark, the team was at home May 5-9, 1887, and then not again until May 30. Player was photographed wearing a white uniform with a dark belt and stockings. The white pillbox-style cap had a dark button on top. Greer was a catcher and in this photo he wore fingerless fielding gloves worn on both hands. Player was wearing short sleeves in this photo matching many of the Brooklyn players photographed during this session. Year Greer with team from baseball-reference.com. Image from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Info on Greer joining team from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, May 10, 1887.

Photo B

Dated early May 1887 or later. Old Judge baseball card of J McTamany (85-87). Full view at left, detail view at right. Photo date determined by similarity in background to Greer card, see photo above. This photo may suggest player was wearing a light-colored shirt over white pants. None of the other Brooklyn cards from this photo session suggest this. Years McTamany with team from baseball-reference.com. Image from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Photo C

Dated early May 1887 or later. Old Judge baseball card of E Burch (86, 87). Full view at left, detail view at right. Photo date determined by similarity in background to Greer card, see photo above. This photo provides a rare view of the back side of the uniform, including a belt loop located in center back. Photo also shows a very thin stripe down the pant seam. Years Burch with team from baseball-reference.com. Image from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Photo D

Dated circa 1887. Buchner Gold Coin (N284) baseball card of B McClellan (85-88). Card depicts white uniform with red stockings. This may be the same uniform shown in the Old Judge baseball cards, see photos A through C. Images from oldcardboard.com. Years with team from baseball-reference.com.

Photos E & F

Dated circa 1887. Buchner Gold Coin (N284) baseball cards. Left: B Phillips (85-87). Right: H Porter (85-87). Cards depict gray uniform with pinstripe on shirt, pants and cap. Images from oldcardboard.com. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Note that pitcher Porter reportedly wore a lucky red shirt when in the box during this period, but not depicted here by the artist.

Written documentation on these uniforms:
March 1887: “The [Brooklyn] boys will be provided with two separate and distinct outfits. One uniform is to be of a bluish gray trimmed with red, with red stockings and belt to match. The color of the uniform is the same worn by the famous Providence Grays. The second uniform will be white, with a small blue stripe. The stockings and belt will be red. The caps, of course, will correspond with the suits. In addition, the men are now being measured by a local shoemaker for running and baseball shoes.” From the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, March 23, 1887. Research from Don Stokes. The Eagle noted that when Brooklyn team president and manager, Charles Byrne, was asked, “Will the club wear the same uniform as last year?”, he replied in the negative. It is possible the “small blue stripe” on the white uniform as described in this pre-season report was actually a “fine blue dot” as reported during the season. See June 1887 report below.

March 1887: “The Brooklyns will wear a uniform similar to that worn by Providence when that club held the championship of the [National] League.” From the Brooklyn Citizen, March 27, 1887. This entry referred to the team as “The Brooklyns.” A search of all Brooklyn newspapers from 1887 has not produced any mention of the nickname “Trolley Dodgers.”

April 16, 1887, Metropolitan, New York, v. Brooklyn, at Brooklyn, Washington Park, opening day: “[Metropolitan] received a warm welcome, as did the home team [i.e., Brooklyn] as they marched on the field later on in their new uniforms of white and maroon.” From the Brooklyn Eagle, April 17, 1887. Research from Don Stokes.

April 1887: “The uniforms of a great many league and association teams this season will be very gorgeous. It is said that the Brooklyns will wear suits of flannel of broad blue-and-white stripes.” From the Kansas City Times, April 18, 1887.

June 12, 1887, Brooklyn v. Cincinnati, at Queens, Ridgewood Park: “It was very chilly, bitter cold, in fact, for nine baseball players who wore the light uniforms of the Brooklyns.” From the New York Herald, June 13, 1887. Note that this game was played on a Sunday.

June 1887: “The color of a least one uniform of each club in the [National] League and American Association is given below. It would be next to impossible to give the several different uniforms of each club, as they change the different pieces of one uniform to another, and may appear on the field in a different make-up every day for a week. However, one complete uniform of each club is as follows: […] Brooklyn — A white flannel shirt, trousers and cap, with fine blue dots, blue stockings.” From the New York Sun, June 12, 1887, and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 14, 1887. Research from Todd Radom. This report mentions blue stockings for Brooklyn, possibly in error. A search of Brooklyn newspapers published in 1887 has resulted in no mention of blue stockings being worn by the team.

Team genealogy:
 Brooklyn 1883-1957
Brooklyn was formed as a minor league team in 1883 and joined the American Association (AA) in 1884. The AA was a major league operating 1882-1891 and Brooklyn played in the AA between 1884 and 1889. Brooklyn moved to the National League (NL) for the 1890 season. The NL began operation in 1876. Brooklyn played in the NL between 1890 and 1957, when the team moved to Los Angeles. Information from wikipedia.com.

1887 Brooklyn summary

Uniform: white with dots, red stockings
First worn:
Photographed: baseball cards from May or later
Described: March, April, June
Material:
Manufacturer: shoes made in Brooklyn
Supposition: dot pattern
Variations: may have also worn blue stockings
Other items: running shoes
Home opener report: yes, April 16 v. Metropolitan

Uniform: gray with pinstripes, red stockings
First worn:
Photographed: illustrated in baseball cards from year
Described: March
Material:
Manufacturer:
Supposition: buttoned shirt
Variations:
Other items: