1859 Niagara, Buffalo (Niagaras)

This rendering is based on visual documentation for uniform style only. Color information is unknown and the uniform is rendered in values of gray. Minor details may also be undocumented or difficult to determine and 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 date from a reprint of image published in the Illustrated Buffalo Express, October 7, 1897. Inscription on original photo says “First regularly organized baseball nine in Buffalo: The Niagaras 1857.” Players wore a shirt with a bib front in this photo with the letter “N” in old-English lettering centered on the bib. The photo was a composite made from individual images of each player and then retouched.

From left: W Loomis, F Sidway, A Bishop, J Sidway, J Higgins, J Sage, W Miller, W Wardwill and D Burt. Player IDs from image. 1897 reprint info from Peter Morris, Base Ball Pioneers, 1850-1870 (2012). Original image from the Buffalo Historical Society.

Dated circa 1859. Detail view of photo A. Detail view shows bib-front shirt with trim around the edge. The same trim was used on the shirt collar and cuffs. Note that the belt worn by players had a belt buckle. Also note the style of cap held by player in center.

Written documentation on this uniform:
None

Team genealogy: Niagara, Buffalo, 1857-1870s
Niagara was formed in Buffalo, NY, in 1857. The club took its name from the nearby Niagara River and Falls. Niagara dissolved in the early 1870s. –Information from Peter Morris, Base Ball Pioneers, 1850-1870 (2012).