1882 Cincinnati (Cincinnatis, Red Stockings, Reds)
Left: Uniforms color-coded by position and worn by players from April to circa June 1882. These renderings are based on visual documentation for uniform style and written documentation for color. Minor details may be undocumented or difficult to determine. An educated guess is made to complete the renderings.
Rendering accuracy:Year: documented Team: documented
Right: Uniform worn by entire team, circa June 1882 and after. Each player continued to wear a color-coded cap. This rendering is based on partial 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: documented Team: documented
Visual documentation on these uniforms:
Photo A
Dated 1882, probably April 1882 to circa June 1882. Year determined by the appearance of player Stearns, who only played for Cincinnati in 1882. Date range of April to circa June determined by the uniforms worn by the players in the photo. Players wore a variety of uniforms that designated their individual position in the field, see written descriptions below for more detail, and these uniforms were discarded circa June. The photo frame caption of “Champions 1882” implied this print was made after the team won the American Association pennant at the end of the season. Note that several players in this photo appeared to be wearing shirts that differed from the color designated for their field positions. Carpenter, third baseman sitting far left, appears to be wearing an all-white shirt and not the “gray and white” shirt designated for his position. It may be that Carpenter’s gray shirt stripes were not apparent in this reproduction of the black-and-white image, or that Carpenter’s shirt was not available or ruined before the photo was taken. Macullar, center fielder sitting on ground at left, appears to be wearing a dark solid-colored shirt designated for a substitute, and not the red-and-black striped shirt designated for his position. In turn, Powers, a catcher who also played the outfield and standing second from left, appears to be wearing the striped centerfielder’s shirt. Newspapers in 1882 stated that the stockings were red in color.
Top row, from left: H McCormick (82, 83), P Powers (82-85), D Stearns (82) and B McPhee (AA 82-89, NL 90-99). Middle, seated: H Carpenter (NL 80, AA 82-89), P Snyder (82-86), W White (NL 78-80, AA 82-86), C Fulmer (82-84), and J Sommer (NL 80, AA 82, 83). Front, on ground: J Macullar (82, 83) and H Wheeler (NL 79, 80, AA 82). Player IDs from photo. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Photo from Mark Fimoff, SABR 19th-century Pictorial Committee. Info on player’s positions from baseball-reference.com.
Dated 1882, probably April 1882 to circa June 1882. Detail view of photo A. Detail view showed the variety of shirts worn and the lace ties on each shirt. Detail view also suggested that players wore both white and dark-colored belts.
Photo B
Dated 1882, probably April 1882 to circa June 1882. This image is a colorized version of photo A and was created in the 1980s. The colorization was directed by Mark Rucker in conformity with documentary records. Information regarding photo from John Thorn.
Dated 1882, probably April 1882 to circa June 1882. Detail view of photo B. This colorized version suggested the color of the belts matched the color of the shirts.
Written documentation on these uniforms:
January 1882: “It is very probable that the American Association, at their March meeting in Philadelphia, will adopt the parti-colored position uniform adopted by the [National] League. It is generally recognized to be a good idea, and one which is sure to become popular. […] A. G. Spalding & Co. will manufacture the uniforms. The material had to be manufactured to order, and it was secured only by a good deal of trouble. It comes from a Quaker factory somewhere up in Iowa. The gentlemen have ordered enough so to provide the American [Association] Clubs also, if the latter fall in with the plan, and will make the uniforms as the same price charged to [National] League Clubs. The American Association act upon a desire to please the public.” From the Cincinnati Commercial Tribune, January 15, 1882.
March 1882: President Thorner today ordered uniforms for the Cincinnati team, after the new [National] League style to be made by Spalding of Chicago. It is of the parti-color. The men will wear white pants, but the various fielders will be distinguished by the following colors, the shirts, caps and belts being similar: catcher, scarlet; pitcher, light blue; first base, scarlet and white; second base, orange and black; third base, gray and white; shortstop, maroon; right field, gray; center field, red and black; left field, white; the substitutes, green and brown. The stocking will all be red.” From the Cincinnati Enquirer, March 15, 1882. Research from Peter Morris and Don Stokes.
1882: “Cincinnati was to appear in perhaps the gaudiest set of uniforms ever designed before or since for a professional ball team. All of the players were to wear red stockings and white pants but shirts and caps of different colors were assigned as follows, the shirts being of heavy silk: Snyder, captain and catcher, scarlet; White, pitcher, sky blue; Rowe, first base, red and white; McPhee , second base, black and yellow; Fulmer, shortstop, maroon; Carpenter, third base, gray and white; Sommer, left field, white; Kemmler, center field, red and black; Stearns, right field gray; Macullar, utility, brown. McCormick, the change pitcher and extra man, who was signed later, was appropriately assigned the color green. Those of two colors had alternate stripes running up and down.” From Preston Orem, Baseball From Newspaper Accounts 1882, pp 5-6. Specific documentation not provided by Orem. Research from John Thorn. Note, two players mentioned in this description, Rowe (did not play for Cincinnati) and Kemmler (82), do not appear in the team photo, see photo A. Years with team from baseball-reference.com.
April 1882: “The [Cincinnati] practice uniforms, which are like those the Chicagos have had for three years, a drab color, are expected Monday [April 3].” From the Cincinnati Enquirer, April 1, 1882.
April 1882: “The Cincinnatis’ new practice uniforms arrived yesterday [April 1].” From the Cincinnati Enquirer, April 2, 1882.
April 1882: “As the new [Cincinnati] uniforms have not arrived yet, the men will appear [in an exhibition game on April 6] in their practice ones.” From the Cincinnati Enquirer, April 6, 1882.
April 17, 1882, Cincinnati v. Cleveland (NL) at Cincinnati, exhibition game: “M’lle Rhéa was an interested witness of the contest. She came in an open carriage and was especially delighted with the uniforms.” From the Cincinnati Enquirer, April 18, 1882. Hortense Rhéa (1844–1899) was a leading French actress whose popularity extended to the US in 1881 when she was signed to perform on an American Tour. Rhéa performed periodically on America tours until 1898. The Enquirer noted on April 16, 1882, that the actress “will make her first appearance [in Cincinnati] at the Grand tomorrow evening [April 17] as ‘Adrianna’ in the beautiful drama of that name.” After the April 17 game was played, the Enquirer reported that “both nines attended the Rhea performance” that evening. Rhea background info from wikipedia.com, retrieved August 30, 2022.
1882: “The cute unies the Reds wore were greatly admired. ‘Will White’s sky blue suit makes him look like a dizzy blonde. The new parti-colored uniforms are all a novelty, well worth seeing. Carpenter’s uniform of gray and white is not as pretty as some of the rest, but then Hickory looks well in any color.’” From Preston Orem, Baseball From Newspaper Accounts 1882. Specific documentation not provided by Orem. Research from John Thorn.
1882: “When McCormick put on the green shamrock shirt and came out upon the field at Cincinnati the Irish National Land League and the Ancient Order of Hibernians got up upon their feet and howled their welcome. But because the players were complaining of the heat the parti-colored shirts were to be replaced by white ones. ‘The bright uniforms were too awfully utter for comfort and the players want to shoot the uniforms.’ The fancy caps were to be retained. ‘When Carpenter and McPhee shed their striped shirts they will have the appearance of long-termers just pardoned out of the penitentiary.’” From Preston Orem, Baseball From Newspaper Accounts 1882. Specific documentation not provided by Orem. Research from John Thorn.
May 23, 1882, Cincinnati v. Baltimore at Baltimore: “Each [Cincinnati] player has different colored shirt and cap.” From Baltimore American Commercial-Advertiser, May 24, 1882. Research from Clifford Blau.
June 1882: “The [Cincinnati] team all have new suits and are looking very fine.” From the Cincinnati Enquirer, June 6, 182. Research from Ed Morton.
June 1882: “White shirts [for Cincinnati] will take the place of the present parti-colored ones; the latter caps will, however, be retained.” From the Cincinnati Enquirer, June 12, 1882.
June 1882: “The Cincinnatis wore their new white shirts.” From the Cincinnati Enquirer, June 14, 1882. Research from Ed Morton.
September 1882: “The Cincinnati nine are to be photographed.” From the Cincinnati Enquirer, September 28, 1882. Research from Ed Morton.
October 1882: “Only two [American Association] clubs have presented a respectable appearance on the St. Louis field this year, and they were the Cincinnati and Louisville teams, who always come out in full dress.” From the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, October 8, 1882.
1882, referenced in 1883: “The Cincinnatis will have the same uniform as last season [1882], retaining the parti-colored cap. The word, Cincinnati, in red letters will curve around the shirt shield.” From the Boston Globe, April 12, 1883. Research from Chuck McGill.
1882, referenced in 1953: “Charles Snyder, the Cincinnati catcher, wore a scarlet shirt, pitcher Will White was attired in blue, and two other hurlers, Danny Stearns and Harry Luff, took turns with a red and white shirt. Billy McPhee, the second baseman, was dressed in orange and black, Hick Carpenter, another infielder, wore black and white. And so it went…throughout the lineup.” From The Sporting News, July 15, 1953. Research from Todd Radom.
1882/1883, uniform numbers. There have been several non-contemporary mentions of the Cincinnati team wearing identifying numbers on their shirts in 1882 or 1883. These have been summarized on the 1883 Cincinnati page here.
Team genealogy:
Cincinnati 1881-
Cincinnati was formed in 1881 to join the American Association (AA) for its inaugural season in 1882. The AA was a major league operating between 1882 and 1891. Cincinnati played in the AA throughout the 1880s and then joined the National League (NL) for the 1890 season. The NL began operation in 1876. Cincinnati has played every year in the NL from 1890 to present time. Information from wikipedia.
1882 Cincinnati summary
Uniform: color-coded shirts and caps, white pants, red stockings
First worn:
Photographed: team photo, June or before
Described: April, May
Material:
Manufacturer: Spalding & Bro., Chicago
Supposition:
Variations:
Other items: gray practice uniform
Home opener report: no, May 2 v. Allegheny
Uniform: white, red stockings, color-coded caps
First worn:
Photographed:
Described: June
Material:
Manufacturer:
Supposition: shirt style
Variations:
Other items:
Rendering posted: August 31, 2022
Diggers on this uniform: Chuck McGill, Cliff Blau, Don Stokes, Ed Morton, John Thorn, Mark Fimoff, Peter Morris, Todd Radom,