1890 Brooklyn (Brooklyns, Ward's Wonders)
Left: This rendering is based on written documentation and partial 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 visual documentation for uniform style and written documentation for color. Some important 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 these uniforms:
Photo A
Dated 1890. Photo date confirmed by players Sunday, Bierbauer, McGeachy, Cook, Seery and Murphy, who only played in Brooklyn for the 1890 season. The team was most likely photographed in Boston at Congress Street Grounds, which suggests the team was photographed wearing their road uniforms. This uniform was described in an 1890 preseason newspaper account as being gray in color, with blue trimmings and stockings. Based on this photo, and that of a printed score card from 1890 (see photo G), the stockings were light blue in color. All but one of the players in this photo, see player Orr in back row, wore a jacket, suggesting an early season photo date. Brooklyn opened the 1890 Players’ League season at Boston, April 19-24, and it is likely this photo was made during this opening series. Player Orr wore a short sleeved shirt with a button placket, and with no visible lettering on shirt.
Top row, from left: B Joyce (PL 90, NL 92), T Kinslow (PL 90, NL 91-94), C Dailey (PL 90, NL 91-95), D Orr (AA 88, PL 90), G Van Haltren (PL 90, NL 92), A Sunday (90) and E Andrews? (90). Middle: L Bierbauer (90), J McGeachy (90), P Cook (90), J Ward (PL 90, NL 91, 92), P Conway (dnp), E Seery (90) and J Hayes (AA 84, 85, PL 90). Front: G Weyhing (PL 90, NL 00) and C Murphy (90). Player IDs, except that of Andrews, and image scan from Mark Fimoff, SABR 19th-century Pictorial Committee. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Image published in Baseball Treasures, by Douglas Congdon-Martin and John Kashmanian (2007). Original photo by G. Waldon Smith, Boston.
Photo B
Dated 1890. Full view of collage at left, detail view at right. Issue date of collage confirmed by appearance of players Sunday, Seery, Andrews, Cook, Sowders, Bierbauer, McGeachy and Murphy, each only played in Brooklyn during the 1890 season. Portraits show a collared shirt with a button packet, and a cap with four subtle horizontal pleats.
Clockwise from top: D Orr (AA 88, PL 90), A Sunday (90), E Seery (90), E Andrews (90), J Hayes (AA 84, 85, PL 90), G Van Haltren (PL 90, NL 92), B Joyce (PL 90, NL 92), C Dailey (PL 90, NL 91-95), P Cook (90), G Weyhing (PL 90, NL 00), T Kinslow (PL 90, NL 91-94), J Sowders (90), L Bierbauer (90), J McGeachy (90) and C Murphy (90). Middle, top: J Ward (PL 90, NL 91, 92). Middle, bottom: P Conway (dnp). Player IDs from collage. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Image scan from Mark Fimoff, SABR 19th-century Pictorial Committee. Original photos by Joseph Hall, Brooklyn.
Photo C
Dated 1890. Cabinet card of E Seery (90). Full view at left, detail view at right. Photo date can be confirmed by similarity with cabinet card of player Cook, see photo D. The similarities suggest the photos were made at the same time and these men only played together for Brooklyn in 1890. Detail view shows button placket on shirt, and the absence of a shirt pocket. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Original photo by G. Waldon Smith, Boston.
Photos D and E
Dated 1890. Cabinet cards of P Cook (90) and B Joyce (PL 90, NL 92). Photo date can be confirmed by similarity with cabinet card of player Seery, see photo C. The similarities suggest the photos were made at the same time and these men only played together for Brooklyn in 1890. Cards show a uniform shirt with no visible lettering. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Original photos by G. Waldon Smith, Boston.
Photo F
Dated 1890. Photo date can be confirmed as this collage of player portraits was printed in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle on April 20, 1890, and in The Sporting Life on May 3, 1890. It is likely these drawings were made from the series of portraits by G. Waldon Smith, though unconfirmed. Newspaper scan from Don Stokes.
Dated 1890. Detail view of photo F. Detail view shows that two types of caps were rendered, the cap at left showed a cord above the brim and the cap at center showed rows of horizontal pleats. Also note the similarity of the portrait of player Kinslow, right, with the drawing of Kinslow printed on July 6, 1890, see photo G.
Photo G
Dated July 6, 1890. This illustration of T Kinslow (PL 90, NL 91-94), full view at left, detail view at right, was published in a newspaper on this date. This portrait matched that of Kinslow included in the montage of portraits published May 3, 1890, see photo F, and was most likely based on a portrait made by G. Waldon Smith, Boston, though unconfirmed. This illustration suggested that the shirt had the city name across the chest. The letter “K” was shown centered on the button placket, resulting in the city name positioned off-center on the shirt. Years Kinslow with team from baseball-reference.com. Image scan and player ID from the Wilkes-Barre Sunday Leader, July 6, 1890.
Photo H
Dated 1890. Printed score card cover. Full view at left, detail view at right. Illustration depicts a player wearing a white uniform and cap, with a light blue belt and stockings. Detail view also shows the word “Brooklyns” across the chest in thin, light blue lettering.
Photo I
Dated June 17, 1939. This photo of G Van Haltren (PL 90, NL 92) and his framed enlargement of the 1890 Brooklyn team was published on this date. Full view at left, detail view at right. This suggests that many players cherished their photos and keepsakes from their playing days. The photo essay also showed a silver bat that Van Haltren awarded to him. Photo from the Oakland Post Enquirer, June 17, 1939. Research from Carson Lorey.
Written documentation on these uniforms:
January 1890: “All the secretaries of the clubs in the Players’ National League [i.e., Players’ League] have sent their club uniform colors to Secretary Brunell. All the clubs, except Philadelphia, have selected white home and colored traveling uniforms, so that the audience can readily distinguish the teams in the field. The teams will be dressed as follows: […] Brooklyn- Home: white suits, blue trimmings and stockings. Traveling: Gray suits, blue trimmings and stockings. From the Chicago Daily Tribune, January 29, 1890. Research from Don Stokes. A similar report was published in the Buffalo Courier, January 30, 1890, and The Sporting Life, February 5, 1890.
Team genealogy: Brooklyn 1890-1890
Brooklyn was formed to join the Players’ League (PL) at the league’s inception in 1890. The PL was a major league that played for one season before folding. The team was bought out by the Brooklyn National League team after the 1890 season. Info from wikipedia.
Rendering posted: March 25, 2017
Diggers on this uniform: Carson Lorey, Don Stokes, Mark Fimoff,