1859 Excelsior, Brooklyn (Excelsiors)

These renderings are based on visual documentation for uniform style only. An educated guess is made on uniform color and on some important details that may be missing or difficult to determine.

Rendering accuracy:

Year: documented    Team: documented

Visual documentation on this uniform:

Photo A

Dated 1859. Photo of Knickerbocker, New York, (left) and Excelsior, Brooklyn. This game took place either June 30 or August 2, 1859. The Excelsior players wore a variety of bib-front shirts in this photo. See detail view below for more on these various styles. The traditional color of the Excelsior uniform during this period was blue pants and cap, with white shirt, belt and shoes.

Excelsior players, from left: H Polhemus (58-62), unidentified, unidentified, unidentfied, E Russell (58-62), unidentfied, J Whiting (59, 60), unidentified and T Reynolds (58-60). The five unidentified players were most likely players from this list: W Young (57-62), R Fleet (57, 59), A Markham (57-59), G Cole (57-59), C Etheridge (56-59), J Holder (58-60), H Brainard (59, 62-64), C Whiting (59, 60), W Kendall (59), F Biggs (59) and J Rogers (56, 59). Years with team from Marshall D. Wright, The National Association Of Base Ball Players, 1857-1870 (2000), from William Ryczek, Peter Morris and others, Base Ball Founders (2013), from wikipedia, and from sabr.org.  Game date and traditional uniform colors from Charles A. Peverelly, The Book Of American Pastimes (1866). Original image from Charles Williamson, Brooklyn. Williamson info from www.19cbaseball.com.

Dated 1859, detail of photo A. Detail view shows a variety of bib configurations. The players at the far left and the three players at the far right wore a bib with a flat bottom. The far left bib had the letter “E” in the center. Based on the quality of the photo it is hard to determine if the other flat-bottomed bibs also had a letter. The player second from left wore a shield-shaped bib with a letter “E”. The player third from left wore a bib with extra decorative trim down the middle. All of these bibs were accented with a dark-colored trim. Note that two players had lettering on their belts, while the remaining Excelsior players did not. Note also the style of cap held by the players, featuring white ribs on a dark crown and a white visor.

Written documentation on this uniform:
None

Team genealogy: Excelsior, Brooklyn, 1854-1870s
Excelsior was formed in Brooklyn, NY, in late 1854. The club was one of 16 charter members of the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP), baseball’s first organization, operating 1857-1870. Named after the New York State motto, Excelsior was noted for organizing one of the first baseball tours, traveling to upstate New York in 1860 and playing in Albany, Troy, Buffalo, Rochester and Newburgh. Excelsior retained amateur status with the advent of open professionalism in 1869 and ceased to play games competitively in the 1870s. The success and popularity of the club before the Civil War led to frequent use of the Excelsior name by other teams in all areas of the country. Info from William Ryczek, Peter Morris and others, Base Ball Founders (2013).