1874 Philadelphia (Philadelphias, Pearls)

This rendering is based on 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.

Year: documented    Team: documented Rendering accuracy:

Visual documentation on this uniform:

Photos A, B & C

Dated April 18, 1874. Three detail views of a newspaper illustration published on this day. The captions under the drawings read, “the opening game of the season” and “sketches of the game between the Philadelphia and Athletic Clubs, at Philadelphia, Tuesday last [April 14, 1874].” In the illustration, the two teams could best be identified by their caps: the Philadelphia players wore a hat with a full brim, while the Athletic players were depicted wearing a baseball-style cap with a visor.  The Philadelphia uniform was depicted as being darker in tone than that of Athletic. A newspaper report from this game stated that “the Philadelphians were attired in gray breeches and caps, white shirts and pearl-colored stockings, and with their gray jackets on looked well.” Image from the New York Daily Graphic, April 18, 1874. Image scan from SABR, The Rucker Archive. Research help from Matt Albertson.

Written documentation on this uniform:
1874: “The uniform adopted [by Philadelphia] will be similar to that worn last year, with the exception of light pearl stockings in place of the old white stockings.” From the Philadelphia Sunday Dispatch, March 22, 1874. Research from Richard Hershberger.

April 1874: “[In the National Association] it will…be the Reds of Boston, the Whites of Chicago, the Pearls of Philadelphia, the Athletic Blues, the Baltimore Canaries, the Mutual Greens, and the Hartford Grays for 1874. The Philadelphia Club have wisely thrown aside the ‘white stockings’ of 1873, and propose to go in strong on [the] pearl color.” From the New York Clipper, April 11, 1874.

April 16, 1874, Philadelphia v. Athletic, Philadelphia, at Philadelphia, Athletic field, opening day: “The professional season was fully inaugurated in Philadelphia yesterday, […] the result being a magnificent victory for the ‘Blue Stockings.’ […] From this time forth the tide of victory set strong against the ‘Gray Stockings,’ and for five consecutive innings they drew blanks, the ‘Blues’ in the meantime adding five additional runs.” From the Brooklyn Daily Times, April 17, 1874.

April 14, 1874, Philadelphia v. Athletic, Philadelphia, at Philadelphia, Athletic field, opening day: “The uniforms of the two clubs helped to impart a picturesque appearance on the field. […] The Philadelphians were attired in gray breeches and caps, white shirts and pearl-colored stockings, and with their gray jackets on looked well.” From the New York Clipper, April 25, 1874.

Team genealogy: Philadelphia 1873-1875
Philadelphia was formed to join the National Association (NA) in 1873. The NA was baseball’s first league, operating 1871-1875. To differentiate from Athletic of Philadelphia, the new team was know as the White Stockings. When Chicago rejoined the NA in 1874, the Philadelphia club gave up the White Stocking name and was instead called the Pearls, for the new color of their stockings. Philadelphia played in the NA from 1873 to 1875 but were not included in the National League at its formation in 1876. The team subsequently disbanded. Information from Paul Batesel, Players and Teams of the National Association, 1871-1875 (2012).