1882 White Stockings Cabinet & other 19th century images

Thought I'd share a scan of this interesting cabinet. Anson, King Kelly, Williamson, Gore, and Corcoran are all there. Great team huh? Can anyone elaborate on the strange uniforms? I read somewhere that the team that year experimented with having a different uniform style at each position. Is this in fact true? That couldn't have worked out too well.




Feel free to share some of your favorite 19th century card images...and tell us something about them too.

That is a great cabinet, Ben. I believe I did read where they tried different uniforms for different positions. Strange Concept.

IMO The greatest Image from the Deadball era is the Cobb Slide, it's captures the Man & the Times. It kinda says it all. And it's on some baseball cards too.

Ben,

Dan Bretta will know this one. I think he may have had a photo or PC of a team with a different uni at each position. It was for one year - maybe 1882? - and someone like a promoter or clothier dreamed it up. Something like that.

And Jerry, I've never thought about it, but now that you mention it I think it's pretty hard to argue with the Cobb slide as being the best image from the era. I'll give that one some thought, but I think you nailed it.

J

Here's another nice cabinet from 1882 - this one's of the Providence Grays. HOFers include Harry Wright (center), George Wright (to the right of Harry), a young Hoss Radbourn (hand on Harry's shoulder), and a VERY young John Ward (second row far right). Can't forget Paul Hines either (top row far left), who led the team in pretty much every offensive category that year. Hines is a very underrated player overall actually - first two time triple crown winner and two time batting champ he was.

They finished second in the NL in '82, behind only the Chicago team pictured on the previous cabinet. I'm sure Gil or Dan could elaborate on this team a whole lot more too.

I guess I'm sort of talking to myself here, but hey, I'm sure some enjoy seeing the images.

Here's one featuring the Boston Beaneaters infield. Considered by some the best infield of the 19th Century.

Clockwise from top: Fred Tenney (1B), Right: Herman Long (SS), Bottom: Jimmy Collins (3B) and Left: Bobby Lowe (2B).




And here's one of a few Baltimore Orioles that you may have heard of, in civilian clothes.

Top: Willie Keeler/John McGraw. Bottom: Joe Kelley/Hughie Jennings.

In 1882 most professional leagues adopted the new uniform rule where each position had a specific uniform - the players hated them and referred to them as 'Clown costumes'. It was also confusing to fans watching the game and the rule was abandoned mid-season. There are few images of teams wearing the clown costumes.

Here is one I sold to Jim B just recently

I thought I'd revive this old thread with hopes that people might add some more neat 19th century images.

How about I start us off with this drool-inducing black bordered Kalamazoo Bats Boston team cabinet?

Talk about super-duper-ultra scarce...

Here are a few of mine

Any 19c cabinet with a black frame is awesome looking. I used to have a one of the St Paul team from 1886 with scores of every game written on the back

Here is a link to some great 19c pieces.

19c items

Jay

Here is one which you do not see every day. The Sportswriters of the era:
Tim H. Murnane, Jacob C. Morse,
Francis C. Richter, Charles C. Spink,
Ren J. Mulford, Jr., Henry G. Merrill



With appreciation to Baseball Fever, and their excellent image library
(and well organized too)

It took me a while, but I thought my path may cross this once again:

With the emergence of the American Association, the National League made a league wide uniform decision at its annual meeting in Chicago on December 9, 1881. They did not want to be outdone by the new league who instituted a uniform code. Each team was to have multi-hued silk uniforms, with each shirt color representing a position on the field. The National League mandated that all players were to wear white pants, white belts and white ties. The shirts and hats represented the position they played.

Pitchers - Light Blue
Catchers - Scarlet
First Basemen - Scarlet and white vertical stripes
Second Basemen - Orange and black vertical stripes
Third Basemen - Blue and white vertical stripes
Shortstops - Maroon
Left fielders - White
Center fielders - Red and black vertical stripes
Right fielders - Gray
1st substitute - Green
2nd substitute - Brown
The teams were only identified by their socks.
National League team color socks:
Boston Red Caps- Red
Buffalo Bisons - Gray
Chicago White Stockings - White
Cleveland Blues - Navy
Detroit Wolverines - Old Gold
Providence Grays - Light Blue (sky)
Troy Trojans - Green
Worcester Ruby Legs - Brown
American Association team color socks:
Baltimore Orioles - Yellow
Cincinnati Red Stockings- Red
Louisville Eclipse - Gray
Philadelphia Athletics - White
Pittsburgh Alleghenys - Black
St. Louis Browns - Brown

So, what happens if a player changes positions mid-game due to injury or strategy? Do they have to change uniforms? I know that pitchers went a lot longer then as opposed to now, so there was less manager marionetting going on, but still... even during the reported half of a season while these "clown clothes" uniform requirements were in effect, I would imagine that a player changed positions at least once mid-game.

Brian

great thread fisherboy7. The Providence Grays cabinet is awesome! it pictures Sandy Nava the 1st mexican american to play pro ball and the 2nd latino to play ball.The 1st being Esteban Bellan. thanks for sharing !