1871 Mutual, New York (Mutuals, Green Stockings)

This rendering is based on written documentation only for uniform style and color. No visual documentation is confirmed. However, the written documentation closely matches visual documentation from this general period and that visual documentation is the basis for this rendering.

Rendering accuracy:Year: documented    Team: documented

Visual documentation on this uniform:

Photo A

Dated early 1870s. This color illustration, presumably of the Mutual, New York, uniform, was published in the Peck & Snyder Encyclopedia in 1873. It may have been a depiction of the Mutual uniform from 1871 to 1873. Unfortunately, no visuals exist of the Mutual uniform from these years. The illustration depicted a white uniform with green stockings and trimmings. The shirt bib displayed an old-English letter “M” in green. These features matched an 1871 newspaper description of the Mutual uniform. The knickers were depicted as being baggy in style. Info on Peck & Snyder as publisher from John Thorn, who also published this image in his blog, Our Game, on April 22, 2019.

Written documentation on this uniform:
March 1871: “The Athletics will wear blue stockings, and also the Olympics. The Chicagoans will wear white stockings, and the Mutuals green. The Haymakers will wear blue checked stockings, and the Boston nine the red stockings. As the professional nines will wear breeches and stockings, it would be as well for the amateurs to have their uniforms of the patterns of the Stars, Actives, Harvards, Excelsiors, &c. with suits of one color or blue pants, white shirts and blue caps.” From the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, March 3, 1871. Research from Don Stokes.

March 1781: “White stockings, red stockings, blue stockings, black stockings, green stockings, leather stockings, overstock the sporting journals, shocking the public ear with infantile base ball.” From the Detroit Free Press, March 5, 1871. Apparently, an editorial comment.

March 1871: “The uniform of the Mutual Club will be same as last season [1870], viz: white flannel shirt and pants, the former having the letter “M” worked in German text on the breast, white cap and green stockings.” From the NY Spirit Of The Times, March 18, 1871. Research from Brian McKenna.

April 1871: “This afternoon [April 21] the Green Stockings of the Mutual Club will put in an appearance on Union Grounds, Brooklyn, for the first time this season, their opening game being with the Chelsea nine.” From the New York Times, April 21, 1871.

June 1, 1871, Mutual, New York, v. Forest City, Rockford IL, at Brooklyn, Union grounds: “About twelve hundred persons assembled […] to witness the first game of the season between the two green stocking clubs — the Mutuals and the Forest Citys of Rockford.” From the New York Daily Herald, June 2, 1871.

June 5, 1871, Mutual, New York, v. Chicago, in Brooklyn, Union Grounds: “The contestants [were] the noted White Stocking nine of the Chicago Club and the Green Stocking nine of the Mutual Club of New York.” From the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, June 6, 1871. An example of the team nickname in use, derived from the color of the team’s stockings.

July 8, 1871, Mutual, New York, v. Eckford, Brooklyn, at Brooklyn: “The Mutual redeemed the errors of their ways on the Fourth of July by giving the Eckfords the worst defeat they have yet had this season, the New-York Green Stockings beating the Brooklyn Orange-hose players by a score of 23 to 6.” From the New York Times, July 9, 1871.

July 19, 1871, Mutual, New York, v. Olympic, Washington DC, at Brooklyn, Union grounds: “The Green Stockings made a new departure, and, hoisting their old war-worn flag, instead of their new green stocking emblem, they went in, as one of he boys said, for ‘victory or defeat.’” From the Chicago Tribune, July 20, 1871, citing the New York World.

July 23, 1871, Mutual, New York, v. Chicago, in Chicago: “The Defeat of the Green Stockings in Chicago. — The grand championship match in Chicago between the New York Mutuals and the Chicago White Stockings was played yesterday.” From the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, July 29, 1871. An example of the team nickname in use, derived from the color of the team’s stockings.

Team genealogy: Mutual, New York, 1857-1876
Mutual was formed in New York, NY, in 1857 and was named after the Mutual Hook and Ladder Company No. 1, New York. Mutual belonged to the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP), baseball’s first organization operating 1857-1870. Mutual played in the National Association (NA), competing in every year of league’s existence, 1871-1875, and joined the National League (NL) in 1876 for its inaugural season. The club was removed from the NL before the 1877 season and subsequently disbanded. Information from Peter Morris and others, Base Ball Founders (2013).