1886 Detroit (Detroits, Wolverines)
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
Visual documentation on these uniforms:
Photo A
Dated April 27, 1886. Year of photo confirmed by appearance of player Hall, and by appearance of player Crane in combination with Twitchell, Baldwin, Brouthers, White, Rowe and Richardson. Photo date of early 1886 confirmed as player Hall was released from the team on June 11, 1886. Based on written descriptions of the Detroit uniforms (see below), it is likely the team was wearing blue pants and red stockings in this photo. The shirts were white with white lace ties. White caps were shown in the foreground. The belts were dark in color. The belts worn by Brouthers (middle row second from left) and White (middle row fifth from left) in this photo had light-colored edge trim and were different in style that those worn by the remainder of the team.
Top row, from left: L Twitchell (86-88), C Bennett (81-88), (B Watkins, mgr 85-88), L Baldwin (86-88) and C Hall (did not play for Detroit). Middle: C Getzein (84-88), D Brouthers (86-88), J Manning (85-87), N Hanlon (81-88), D White (86-88) and S Thompson (85-88). Front: J Rowe (86-88), S Crane (Det 85, 86, StL NL 86) and H Richardson (86-88). Player IDs from photo. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Image from Mark Fimoff, SABR 19th-century Pictorial Committee. April 27, 1886 photo date and information on player Hall from Joe Gonsowski. Original photo by Frank N. Tomlinson, Detroit.
Detail view of photo A. Detail view showed that he shirts had white ace ties and a breast pocket.
Photo B
Dated April 27, 1886. Studio portrait of S Crane (Det 85, 86, StL NL 86). Full view at left, detail view at right. Uniform matched that worn by players in photo A. Example of a studio portrait made at the same time as the team photo A. Photo date from Joe Gonsowski. Years Crane with team from baseball-reference.com. Original photo by Frank N. Tomlinson, Detroit.
Photos C & D
Dated April 27, 1886. Studio portraits of C Hall (dnp), left, andL Twitchell (86-88), right. Hall did not play in a regular season game and was released from the team on June 11, 1886. Uniforms matched that worn by players in photo A. These are two additional examples of studio portraits made at the same time as the team photo A. Photo date and information on player Hall from Joe Gonsowski. Image scans from the Trading Card Database, tcdb.com. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Original photos by Frank N. Tomlinson, Detroit.
Photos E & F
Dated April 27, 1886. Studio portraits of C Bennett (81-88), left, and D Brouthers (86-88), right. Uniforms matched that worn by players in photo A. These are two additional examples of studio portraits made at the same time as the team photo A. Photo date from Joe Gonsowski. Image scans from the Trading Card Database, tcdb.com. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Original photos by Frank N. Tomlinson, Detroit.
Photo G
Dated April 27, 1886. Studio portrait of J Manning (85-87).Full view at left, detail view at right. Detail view at right shows subtle stitching around placket, on collar and around shirt pocket. Photo date from Joe Gonsowski. Years Manning with team from baseball-reference.com. Original photo by Frank N. Tomlinson, Detroit.
Photo H
Dated 1886, most likely April 27, 1886. Studio portrait of C Hall (dnp). Full view at left, detail view at right. Detail view at right showed that the player, when lacing his shirt, used the cut holes in the shirt differently than player Manning. Compare to photo E and note how the laces related to the letter “R” in Detroit. Photo date and player info from Joe Gonsowski. Image scan from Robert Edward Auctions. Original photo by Frank N. Tomlinson, Detroit.
Photo I
Dated June 19, 1886, Detroit v. Chicago, at Detroit, Recreation Park. Photo date from a reprint of this image (date not shown in crop). Photo showed Detroit wearing an all-white uniform and playing the field, and Chicago wearing a blue uniform with white cap and stockings and at bat. Information printed on the photo incorrectly stated game score as Detroit 1, Chicago 0, in 13 innings. Actual score was Chicago 5, Detroit 4, in regulation. Game research from Tom Sheiber.
Photo J
Dated 1886 or 1887, possibly July 2 or 5, 1886, or July 4, 1887. Detail view of game action (full view not shown) at Detroit’s Recreation Park. The Detroit location can be confirmed by the advertisement on the outfield wall for the Detroit Music Company. The Detroit team was in the field and wearing a white shirt and cap, dark pants and white stockings. The shirt had the city name arched across the front, most visible on the uniform of the first baseman. The visiting team wore a gray uniform and cap, with dark stockings. Image from Old-Time Baseball Photos on twitter @OTBaseballPhoto, which dates the photo as 1886. Other images from this game also exist and several were posted by MLB historian John Thorn, Our Game blog, on May 30, 2017, and credited to the Detroit Historical Society. The DHS also dated the series to 1886, though the date July 4, 1887, has also been given to at least one of these images. In a June 19, 2023, post on Our Game, Thorn identified the pitcher as left-handed pitcher Lady Baldwin, who pitched for Detroit between 1886 and 1888. Baldwin was the starting pitcher for Detroit in games against Boston, at Detroit, on July 2 and 5, 1886. Baldwin was also the starting pitcher the following year, again against Boston at Detroit, on July 4, 1887. Detroit wore the same uniform during both of these years. A twitterer responding to the Old-Time Baseball Photos post suggested the pitcher may be the left-handed Phenomenal Smith, who played for Detroit at the end of the 1886 season only. Years Baldwin and Smith with Detroit from baseball-reference.com. Thanks to Bill Grindler for bringing these images to our attention.
Photo K
Dated circa 1887. Montage of illustrations of Detroit players. Full view at left, detail view of C Bennett (81-88) at right. These illustrations were based on the studio portraits made by Frank N. Tomlinson, Detroit, on April 27, 1886, see examples above. Image from The Graphic News, circa 1887. Image scan from SABR/Rucker Archive.
Dated circa 1887. Two detail views of D Brouthers (86-88) from the montage of illustrations of Detroit players, see photo K. This illustration was based on the studio portrait of Brouthers made by Frank N. Tomlinson, Detroit, on April 27, 1886, see example above. Illustration showed the Detroit cap and two-tone belt worn only by Brouthers and player White on this day. Image from The Graphic News, circa 1887. Image scan from SABR/Rucker Archive.
Written documentation on these uniforms:
January 1886: “New Spring Suits: Manager Watkins returned from Chicago yesterday where he has been ordering the suit for the Detroit sluggers. One suit, which is meant for a sort of Fourth of July and ladies’ day outfit, is to be entirely white, including Cardigan jacket. The other suit, which will be used when traveling, will be composed of blue knickerbockers, red stockings, red belt, white shirt and white caps.” From the Detroit Free Press, January 29, 1886. Research from Joe Gonsowski and Graig Kreindler. A similar report was published in the Buffalo Commercial Advertiser, February 10, 1886.
February 1886: “The Detroit Club will have one suit of clothes for state occasions and another to be used when traveling. Their swell uniform, as it were, is to be entirely white, even including a Cardigan jacket. The other is to be composed of blue Knickerbockers, red stockings, red belt, with white shirt and white caps.” From the New York Herald, February 4, 1886.
February 1886: “The Detroit team […] will play in two uniforms this year, one a white suit with blue trimmings and white stockings, and the other white with red trimmings and red stockings. The red stocking suit will only be used when playing against the Chicagos, to more thoroughly distinguish the two clubs, and the white stockings will be worn by the Wolverines against all other clubs. This is being done because white stockings, in the opinion of Detroiters, are the ‘mascot’ which have brought so many victories to the present champions [i.e., Chicago].” From the St. Paul Globe, February 15, 1886. Research from Don Stokes and Graig Kreindler. Note, this entry does not specifically mention blue pants, however researcher Joe Gonsowski believes Detroit wore blue pants with white stockings in 1886.
April 1886: “The Savannahs will have a new uniform. It will be the same as the Detroits, red stockings, blue pants, red belt, white shirt with Savannah across the breast and white cap.” From the Savannah (GA) Morning News, April 10, 1886.
April 1886: “The Detroit base ball destroyers are now all in the city. […] After dinner [on April 27, 1886] the club went to Tomlinson’s and were photographed in a group and singly. Pictures of the best looking ball players in the country can be secured at the gallery.” From the Detroit Free Press, April 28, 1886.
May 10, 1886, Detroit v. New York, at Detroit, Recreation Park: “An enthusiastic yell was heard at Recreation Park […] when the Detroit sluggers, arrayed in their handsome new white suits, filed into the grounds. […] When it became necessary to steal bases [Detroit’s] Manning had no regard for his new white suit.” From the Detroit Free Press, May 11, 1886.
May 1886: “Detroit Base Ball Club photographs in group and singly for sale by Tomlinson, the photographer, 236 Woodward avenue.” From the Detroit Free Press, May 11, 1886.
May 1886: “The photographs of the Detroit Base Ball Club made by Tomlinson are receiving high praise.” From the Detroit Free Press, May 12, 1886.
May 13, 1886, Detroit v. Boston, at Detroit, Recreation Park: “Sam Thompson [of Detroit] will soon be arrayed in a silk hat and a new garment, which doesn’t go on over the head. This is all owing to his home run hit yesterday [on May 13]. L. Weiss, the hatter, offered a silk hat for the first home run made this season at Recreation Park, and Hasse & Dings, tailors, offered a new pair of pantaloons to the player who should accomplish the above desirable results.” From the Detroit Free Press, May 14, 1866.
May 20, 1886, Detroit v. Philadelphia, at Detroit, Recreation Park: “[Detroit’s] Bennett got his base on balls, and there was a man in a white suit on each base.” From Detroit Free Press, May 21, 1886. An indication that the Detroit players wore all white.
May 27, 1886, Detroit v. Boston, at Boston, South End grounds, home opener, game stopped by rain: “When the crowd was finally let in, they found the Detroits already practicing on the diamond. The Wolverines, in white shirts and black knickerbockers, looked the solid, splendid specimens of physical manhood they are, and appeared big enough and heavy enough to get away with any ordinary team without effort.” From the Boston Globe, May 28, 1886. The black knickers described by the Globe were most likely dark blue in color.
June 1886: “The Detroit uniform is a striking one, consisting of black knickerbockers, white shirts and caps and red belts.” From the Washington (DC) Critic, June 1, 1886, and the Austin Weekly Statesman, June 10, 1886. Weekly Statesman research from Don Stokes and Graig Kreindler. Note, it is possible the dark blue pants worn by the team were mistakenly noted as black in this report.
June 1886: “The Detroit team, with their back smalls, red stockings, and white shirts and caps, make a striking appearance.” From the New York Sun, June 3, 1886. Detroit played at New York, May 31 and June 1.
June 19, Detroit v. Chicago, at Detroit: “Detroit, Mich., June 19. — […] The Detroit nine hustled themselves today to procure a Mascotte [sp] as an offset to the one in possession of their opponents [Chicago], and the result was the appearance on the ground this afternoon of young Charlie Gallagher, a South ward kid, who was adorned with the uniform of the home team.” From the Louisville Courier-Journal, June 20, 1886.
July 1886: “Detroit’s ‘sluggers’ will be found in the Detroit Graphic News on Saturday next [July 10].” From the Detroit Free Press, July 2, 1886.
July 8, 1886, Detroit v. Chicago, at Chicago: “The Detroits were there [before the game at the Clifton House hotel] in the white uniforms.” From the Detroit Free Press, July 9, 1886.
July 9, 1886, Detroit v. Chicago, at Chicago: “Detroit put in ten minutes in practice and were enthusiastically applauded by their supporters. They wore a neat uniform of blue trousers, white shirts and white stockings, with the word ‘Detroit’ in blue across the breast.” From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 10, 1886.
Team genealogy:
Detroit 1881-1888
Detroit joined the National League (NL) in 1881. The NL began operation in 1876. Detroit played in the NL between 1881 and 1888. The team disbanded after the 1888 season. Information from wikipedia.
1886 Detroit summary
Uniform: all white
First worn: possibly May 10, Detroit
Photographed: game photo, June 19
Described: January, February, May, July
Material:
Manufacturer: Spalding & Bro.
Supposition:
Variations:
Other items: white cardigan jacket
Home opener report: yes, May 10 v. New York
Uniform: white, dark blue pants, red stockings
First worn:
Photographed: team photo, April 27
Described: January, February, April-July
Material:
Manufacturer: Spalding & Bro.
Supposition: lettering colo
Variations: also wore with white stockings, white belts and white shirts with blue lettering; several players wore colored belts edged with white trim
Rendering posted: April 2, 2023
Diggers on this uniform: Bill Grindler, Graig Kreindler, Joe Gonsowski, John Thorn, Tom Shieber,