1887 Brooklyn (Brooklyns)

Left: This rendering is based on visual documentation for uniform style and color. Minor details may be undocumented or difficult to determine and an educated guess is made to complete the rendering.

Rendering accuracy:  Year: documented    Team: documented

Center: This rendering is based on visual documentation for uniform style and color. Minor details may be undocumented or difficult to determine and an educated guess is made to complete the rendering.

Rendering accuracy:  Year: documented    Team: documented

Right: This rendering is based on 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: undocumented    Team: documented

Visual documentation on these uniforms:

Photo A

Dated 1887. Old Judge baseball card of E Greer (87). Full view at left, detail view at right. Photo date determined by player shown as 1887 was the only year Greer played for Brooklyn. Note lace ties, dark button on top of cap, and 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.

Photo B

Dated 1887. 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 A. 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 1887. 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 A. 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.

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. 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.

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 maroon and red.” 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 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 14, 1887, citing the New York Sun. Research from Todd Radom.

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.