1887 St. Louis (Browns)
Left & center: These renderings are based on partial visual documentation for uniform style and written documentation for color. Important details may be undocumented or difficult to determine. An educated guess is made to complete the rendering.
Rendering accuracy:Year: unconfirmed Team: documented
Center & Right: 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 renderings.
Rendering accuracy:Year: documented Team: documented
Visual documentation on these uniforms:
Photo A
Dated April 1887. Opening Day souvenir, full view at left, detail view at right. All of the portraits were drawings based on original photographs by Joseph W. Fischer, St. Louis. The photos were first published in 1885 and the drawings were first published in October 1885, therefore these portraits do not represent the 1887 St. Louis uniform or cap.
Photo B
Dated October 1887 or 1888. Montage of player portraits, full view at left, detail view of player Boyle at right. Full view shows all but one of the St. Louis players (Boyle) wearing a cap with vertical stripes. Boyle joined the team in 1887 and therefore was not included in these earlier portraits. Boyle was shown wearing a cap with two horizontal bands and a striped shirt. Contemporary newspaper accounts state that the St. Louis team wore a brown and white striped shirt in 1887. The photo used for the portrait of Boyle, see detail view at right, is unknown however the portrait appears similar to photo C, see below. The dates of “1886 – 1887 – 1888” listed at the bottom of this item referenced championships won by St. Louis in 1885, 1886 and 1887. Often teams that won the pennant were deemed the champion for the following year. The 1887 season ended on October 9, 1887, and this item may have been issued as a souvenir for the championship series with Detroit of the National League, October 10-26, 1887. All of the remaining portraits were drawings based on original photographs by Joseph W. Fischer, St. Louis. The photos were first published in 1885 and the drawings were first published in October 1885, therefore these portraits, exclusive of the Boyle portrait, do not represent the 1887 St. Louis uniform or cap.
Top row, from left: J Boyle (87-89, 91), B Caruthers (AA 84-87, NL 92), T O’Neil (84-89, 91) and B Gleason (82-87). Middle: Y Robinson (85-89, 91), C Comiskey (82-89, 91), (C von der Ahe, president), D Bushong (85-87) and C Welch (85-87). Bottom: A Latham (AA 83-89, NL 96), and D Foutz (84-87). Player IDs from collage. Years with team from baseball-reference.com.
Photo C
Dated 1887 to 1889. Cabinet card portrait of S King (87-89), full view at left, detail view at right. Player wore a striped shirt in this photo. The shirt had lace ties and the city name was arched across the shirt. The “O” in St. Louis was split in half by the shirt opening. The cap was white with two horizontal bands and colored trim along the edge of the visor. The player’s pose, shirt and cap were all very similar to the visual of player Boyle depicted in the souvenir issued in October 1887 or in 1888, see photo B. Newspapers from 1887 described the St. Louis uniform as having “brown and white stripes.” Years King with team from baseball-reference.com. Image scan from Heritage Auctions. Original photo by Joseph W. Fisher, St. Louis, as determined by the identity on the back of the cabinet card (not shown).
Photo D
Dated April 1888, possibly based on a photo from 1887. Rendering of A Latham (AA 83-89, NL 96), full view at left, detail view at right. This rendering was published at the start of the 1888 season. The original photo was possibly made in 1887. Latham was depicted wearing a dark uniform with a dark cap and dark stockings. The shirt featured the city name in light-colored lettering and lace ties down the front. The pillbox-style cap was encircled by two thin horizontal bands. The shoes were low cut. In October 1887, a newspaper noted that Latham had special baseball shoes “made to order, made from his own model,” see more in the written descriptions below.
According to newspaper accounts, the Browns produced two blue uniforms in 1887. So, which was shown in the rendering above? The outfit Latham wore above may have been the first blue suit the team produced, one that was originally deemed to be a practice uniform at the start of the season. In March 1887, the color of this uniform was described as “blue—shirt and breeches—and wine colored stockings. Across the breast of the shirt the words ‘St. Louis Browns’ will we placed in wine colored cloth.” Note that the word “Browns” does not appear on the shirt in the rendering above. It is possible the March 1887 description, made before the uniforms were produced, was not completely accurate. The team began to wear these practice uniforms in official games, and in May 1887 one newspaper noted that “the Browns are beginning to believe that their flannel practice uniforms are regular mascots and consequently are wearing them every game nowadays.” The second blue uniform was produced for the 1887 World Series vs. Detroit, and was described by newspapers as “light blue,” “bright blue” and “sky blue” in color, with brown stockings. Until more documentation is uncovered, it is only speculation that the uniform Latham wore in the rendering above was not the “sky blue” uniform used during the World Series, but instead the blue uniform from the regular season. If this speculation is correct, then the Latham rendering tells us that this blue uniform was most likely dark blue in color. Player ID and image scan from Reach’s Base Ball Guide 1888. Years Latham with team from baseball-reference.com. Image scan from SABR/The Rucker Archive.
Photo E
Dated September 17, 1887. These portraits of St. Louis players were published in a newspaper on this date, full view at left, detail view of Comiskey at right. The portraits were used to advertise Merrell’s Penetration Oil, manufactured by J. S. Merrell Drug Co., St. Louis. All of the portraits were drawings based on original photographs by Joseph W. Fischer, St. Louis. The photos were first published in 1885 and the drawings were first published in October 1885, therefore these portraits do not represent the 1887 St. Louis uniform or cap.
Clockwise from left: Y Robinson (85-89), C Comiskey (82-89, 91), D Bushong (85-87), A Latham (83-89), D Foutz (84-87), B Caruthers (84-87), B Gleason (82-87), C Welch (85-87) and T O’Neill (84-89, 91). Image and player IDs from The Sporting News, September 17, 1887. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Research help form Ed Morton.
Photo F
Dated October 14, 1887. These portraits of St. Louis players were published in a newspaper on this date. All of the portraits were based on original photographs by Joseph W. Fischer, St. Louis, and were first published two years earlier, in 1885. Therefore these portraits do not represent the 1887 St. Louis uniform or cap. Four players shown in this montage, McGinnis, Sullivan, Barkley and Nichol, did not play for the 1887 St. Louis team.
Top row, from left: A Latham (83-89), Y Robinson (85-89), B Gleason (82-87) and D Bushong (85-87). Middle row: C Welch (85-87), J McGinnis (82-86), (C von der Ahe, president 82-98), D Foutz (84-87) and B Caruthers (84-87). Bottom row: D Sullivan (85), C Comiskey (82-89, 91), S Barkley (85), T O’Neill (84-89, 91) and H Nicol (83-86). Image and player IDs from The Daily Graphic, New York, October 14, 1887. Image scan from SABR/The Rucker Archive.
Written documentation on these uniforms:
February 1887: “The St. Louis Browns’ uniforms will be of a rich shade of brown-striped imported cloth, and will exceed in color, finish and durability any uniforms ever used by St. Louis clubs.” From The Sporting Life, February 23, 1887. Research from Chuck McGill.
March 1887: “The [Memphis] uniforms were of such lovely style that the St. Louis Browns will have duplicates. It will consist of white shirts with brown stripes, white pants, brown stockings and brown and white striped caps.” From the Memphis Daily Appeal, March 1, 1887.
March 1887: “The St. Louis and Cincinnati Clubs, the only [American] Association teams that did not have traveling uniforms last season [1886], have fallen into line and will come out with brand-new costumes [in 1887].” From the Philadelphia Times, March 13, 1887.
March 1887: “The Browns will have two new uniforms. The championship uniform will be of the champion’s color, brown and white striped, of the finest cloth. The relay or exhibition game uniform will be of blue—shirt and breeches—and wine colored stockings. Across the breast of the shirt the words ‘St. Louis Browns’ will we placed in wine colored cloth.” From The Sporting Life, March 23, 1887. Research from Chuck McGill.
April 7, 1887, St. Louis v. Chicago (NL), at St. Louis, Sportsmen’s Park, exhibition game: “The Chicagos were received with applause, and the familiar blue and white uniform contrasted strongly with the plum-colored suits of the St. Louis men.” From the Chicago Tribune, April 8, 1887. This report may suggest that the Browns wore their 1886 practice uniforms for this exhibition game.
May 1887: “The Browns are beginning to believe that their flannel practice uniforms are regular mascots and consequently are wearing them every game nowadays.” From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 28, 1887. Research from Gary Kodner and Oliver Kodner.
June 14, 1887, St. Louis v. Baltimore, at Baltimore: “The hard won trophies of the champions [i.e., St. Louis], the Wiman trophy and the World’s champions’ flag and the American Association’s pennant were sent on from St. Louis some days ago and the arrangements were made by which they were to be displayed in the parade [in Baltimore] and at the opening game at the park in the afternoon.” From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 14, 1887. The Wiman Trophy was created by Metropolitan club owner Erastus Wiman (1834-1904) and awarded to the American Association winner at the end of the 1886 season.
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: […] St. Louis — White and brown shirts and caps, white trousers; brown stockings.” From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 14, 1887, citing the New York Sun. Research from Todd Radom and from Oliver Kodner.
October 1887: “Editor Al. Spink, of the Sporting News, published a pictorial number of his paper last week containing portraits of both the St. Louis and Detroit champion teams.” From the Philadelphia Times, October 2, 1887.
October 8, 1887: “The Browns got their new uniforms last night. They are solid blue, with brown stockings.” From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 9, 1887. Research from Oliver Kodner. This sentence appeared with other blurbs written in anticipation of the championship series between Detroit (NL) and St. Louis (AA). The series began October 10 and ended October 26. The Boston Globe on October 11, 1887, listed the “World’s Championship” Schedule between Detroit and St. Louis as follows: St. Louis, Oct 10 and 11; Detroit, Oct 12; Pittsburgh, Oct 13; Brooklyn, Oct 14; Staten Island, Oct 15; Philadelphia (League grounds), Oct 17; Boston (Union grounds), Oct 18; Philadelphia (Association grounds), Oct 19; Washington, Oct 20; Baltimore, Oct 21; Brooklyn, Oct 22; New York (Polo grounds), Oct 24; and Louisville, Oct 26. The October 15 game was played in New York at the Polo Grounds, and not on Staten Island.
October 10, 1887, St. Louis v. Detroit, at St. Louis, first game of championship series: “There was another yell and in skipped the Browns, looking too gaudy for anything. They were arrayed in light blue suits, including knickerbockers, shirts and caps, brown stockings, and to cap the color climax, bright red jackets. Any artistic deficiency in their suits was fully made up in their play.” From the Detroit Free Press, October 11, 1887.
October 10, 1887, St. Louis v. Detroit, at St. Louis, first game of championship series: “A few minutes after 3 o’clock the bell rang, and out dashed the Browns in their new blue uniforms. They were received with a mighty shout.” From the Chicago Tribune, October 11, 1887.
October 10, 1887, St. Louis v. Detroit, at St. Louis, first game of championship series: “When the Browns appeared on the field in their new suits they were applauded to the echo.” From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 11, 1887.
October 12, 1887, St. Louis v. Detroit, at Detroit, championship series game: “The blue suits [i.e., St. Louis] ceased to wriggle, squirm and dance […] and the champions of the world had been beaten.” From the Detroit Free Press, October 13, 1887.
October 14, 1887, description of St. Louis and Detroit teams arriving in Jersey City for a “championship series” game to be played in Brooklyn, at Washington Park: “The palace car [of the train] occupied by the players of the [National] League was distinguished by flaming banners, on which appeared the description: ‘The Detroits, Champions of the League.’ That of the St. Louis team bore on one side the words: ‘St. Louis Browns, Champions of the World,’ and on the other: ‘Champions of the American Association, 1885, 1886, 1887.’ […] For several hours the players remained in their apartments, but presently they strolled down into the hotel corridors and proved the center of attraction for many delighted eyes. The uniform of the Detroits is a black suit, with snow-white caps and stockings. The St. Louis men take their popular name from their brown stockings and the broad stripes of brown on their blue caps.” From the New York Evening World, October 14, 1887. Research from Gary Kodner.
October 14, 1887, St. Louis v. Detroit, at Brooklyn, Washington Park, championship series game: “When the St. Louis Browns got on the field everybody observed that they were not the Browns any longer, for they were dressed from head to toe in new suits of handsome blue flannel. They had blue hats to match, and it took quite some time for the crowd to realize the change. People thought they were the Detroits at first.” From the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, October 15, 1887.
October 14, 1887, St. Louis v. Detroit, at Brooklyn, Washington Park, championship series game: “At 1 1/2 o’clock the two nines in full uniform, the Browns in their dark blue and brown stockings, and the Detroits in blue uniforms and white stockings, took carriages for Washington Park.” From the New York Sun, October 15, 1887. Research from Gary Kodner. Note that other reports from this October 14 game stated the team wore light blue uniforms on this day. This New York Sun report said dark blue.
October 14, 1887, St. Louis v. Detroit, at Brooklyn, Washington Park, championship series game: “The game was called promptly at 3 o’clock, with the St. Louis Browns at bat. [Arlie] Latham, in his light blue uniform, with collar turned up, mopped his face and shook his bat at [Detroit pitcher Pete] Conway.” From the Boston Globe, October 15, 1887. Research from Gary Kodner.
October 15, 1887, St. Louis v. Detroit, at New York, Polo Grounds, championship series game: “St. Louis followed in more carriages and received more cheers and admiration. No debutant or prima donna was ever more closely inspected than were the nine in blue and brown. They were a trifle gaudy as the descended with scarlet ‘blazers’ over their bright blue uniforms.” From the New York Times, October 16, 1887. Research from Dan O’Brien.
October 1887, St. Louis v. Detroit, championship series game: “St. Louis looked a trifle gaudy on their arrival with scarlet ‘blazers’ over their bright blue uniforms.” From Preston D. Orem, Baseball 1882-1891 From The Newspaper Accounts (1966, 1967, reprinted by SABR in 2021), pg. 237.
October 1887: “Latham is an artist on pikes. He has his made to order, made from his own model. Arie’s spikes cost $2 a set.” From the Lynn (MA) Daily Item, October 17, 1887.
October 18, 1887, St. Louis v. Detroit, at Boston, Union ball grounds, championship series game: “At 1:20 there was a commotion at the farther end of the ball grounds. Nine strapping young flows dressed in a blue uniform and red cardigan jacket made their appearance. It was the St. Louis Browns. […] Quickly divesting themselves of their cardigans, the Browns began preliminary practice.” From the Boston Globe, October 19, 1887.
October 1887: “The St. Louis team was radiant in a sky-blue suit with red jackets and brown stockings.” From the Chicago Inter Ocean, October 26, 1887. Research from Dan O’Brien.
November 20, 1887, description of parade welcoming “Eastern Clubs” to San Francisco for a series of exhibition games: “First came the brass band, then a hack containing D. R. McNeill, President of Central Park Association, James A. Hart, manager, and C. B. Powers, the umpire. Next rode the Philadelphias, clad in white pants and shirts, red stockings and white caps ornamented with red stripes. After them came the famous St. Louis Browns, in red and white habiliments, while last rode the Chicagos, who wore suits of blue and white, with the blue almost washed out. Were it not that ‘beauty unadorned is best adorned’ the Chicagos would have looked a dingy crowd.” From the San Francisco Examiner, November 21, 1887. Research from Gary and Oliver Kodner. The Examiner also added that “the champion score-card seller accompanies the Browns to this city. It is said that if a person refuses to buy a card he yells murder.”
November 24, 1887, St. Louis v. Philadelphia (NL), at San Francisco, Central Park, exhibition game: “There were fully 5,000 people present at the afternoon game, all eager to see the renowned ‘hurrah’ players — the St. Louis Browns. […] Their appearance as they leaped over the railing, clad in their blue uniforms, with brown trimmings and red over-jackets, was the signal for a grand howl from the assembled spectators.” From the San Francisco Examiner, November 25, 1887.
December 1887: “The uniform to be worn by the [1888 Cincinnati] club away from home will be navy blue, similar to that worn by the champion Browns last season [1887].” From the New York Sun, December 29, 1887. Research from Oliver Kodner.
1887, referenced in March 1888: “The St. Louis Browns have not changed their uniform.” From The St. Paul Globe, March 25, 1888. Research from Don Stokes. The 1888 St. Louis uniform has been documented as white in color with both the city name and the stockings in brown. This Globe report implied the team wore a similar uniform during the 1887 season.
Team genealogy:
St. Louis 1882-
St. Louis was formed to join the American Association (AA) in 1882. The AA was a major league operating between 1882 and 1891 and St. Louis played in the AA in every year of the league’s existence. The team moved to the National League (NL) for 1892 season. The NL began operation in 1876 and St. Louis has played in the NL every year since 1892. Information from wikipedia.
Rendering posted: February 10, 2021
Diggers on this uniform: Chuck McGill, Dan O'Brien, Don Stokes, Ed Morton, Gary Kodner, Oliver Kodner,