1859 Knickerbocker, New York (Knickerbockers)

This rendering is 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 rendering.

Rendering accuracy:Year: unconfirmed    Team: documented

Visual documentation on this uniform:

Photo A

Dated circa 1859. Photo of Knickerbocker, New York, (at left) and Excelsior, Brooklyn. The above image had the year 1859 imprinted below it. Another version of this image had 1858 hand-written beneath it, possibly in error. According to Marshall D. Wright, The National Association of Base Ball Players, 1857-1870 (2000), these two teams played twice in 1858, on July 8 and August 20. In 1859 they again played twice, on June 30 and August 2. In 1860 they played once on August 25. The Knickerbocker players wore a shirt with a wide button placket and a shirt pocket, each accented with dark trim. The team’s initials were carried on the belt of each player. See detail views below for more on these uniform features. The traditional uniform color of the Knickerbocker team during this period was white shirt with blue pants.

Knickerbocker players, from left: unidentified, J Davis (50-70s), C DeBost (45-47, 50-60), D Adams (46-62), R Stephens (<56-59), H Wright (58-62), unidentified, unidentified and unidentified. The unidentified players were most likely those from this list: N Welling (<57-60>), S Kissam (54-70s), Morrow (58-60), N McLaughlin (early 50s-59) and Wood (59). Years with team from John Thorn, William Ryczek, Peter Morris and others, Base Ball Founders (2013), and from wikipedia.com. DeBost and Stephens IDs from Albert Spalding, America’s National Game (1911). Traditional uniform color info from Charles A. Peverelly, The Book Of American Pastimes (1866). Original photo from Charles Williamson, Brooklyn. Williamson info from www.19cbaseball.com.

Dated 1859, detail of photo A. Detail view show the button placket ending above the belt. Note that the caps shown in this photo did not have a rounded crown divided into ribbed panels but instead had a flat, pill-box shape.

Photo C

Dated 1859, detail of photo B showing Knickerbocker belt displaying the team’s initials: “KBBC.”

Written documentation on this uniform:
1849-1866: “On April 24, 1849, a uniform was adopted for the club: blue woolen pantaloons, white flannel shirt, chip (straw) hats; and it may here be mentioned that the blue and white has ever since remained the costume of the club. The straw hats were abolished some years later. […] On the 13th of August, 1855, the uniform of the club was again regulated. Blue woolen pants, white flannel shirt, with narrow blue braid, mohair cap, and belt of patent leather. With the exception of a change of cap, the uniform has ever since remained.” From Charles A. Peverelly, The Book Of American Pastimes (1866).

Team genealogy: Knickerbocker, New York, 1845-late 1860s.
Knickerbocker loosely formed in New York in 1842 and officially organized in 1845. The term Knickerbocker derived from a surname that symbolized the city’s Dutch origins. The club published a well-known set of game rules in 1845 which helped to codify the New York-style game. Knickerbocker was one of 16 charter members of the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP) in 1857. The NABBP was baseball’s first organization, operating 1857-1870. The Knickerbocker club ceased to play games competitively in the late 1860s. Afterward, the Knickerbocker name has been used by many New York sports teams, including the NBA franchise, which took the name in 1946. Information from John Thorn, William Ryczek, Peter Morris and others, Base Ball Founders (2103), and from wikipedia.com.