1875 Active, Reading PA (Actives)

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

Attributed 1875. Players wore a white uniform in this photo, with a large shield bib, dark belts and dark stockings. The team’s white caps were displayed on the ground. A newspaper report from 1875 stated that the team’s uniforms were white with red lettering, red belts, red stockings and white caps detailed with red cord. This description matched the uniform shown in this photo.

Top row, from left: J Stott, J Smith, (W Wunder), M Dillon and P Waren. Front: D James, L Lovett (75, 76), J Goodman, (J Mishler), L Ressler (<74, 76, with Washington NA in 75) and E Davis. Photo date, team ID and player IDs from Charles Adams III, Baseball In Reading (2003). Original image from the Historical Society of Burks County, PA (2003). Years with team from Paul Batesel, Players And Teams Of The National Association, 1871-1875 (2012).

Written documentation on this uniform:
July 1875: “The Active have ordered of Peck & Snyder, New York, new uniforms, to be finished by Monday next [July 19, 1875], and used for the first time at Wilmington. The shirt and knee breeches will be of white flannel with the word ‘Active’ in red letters across the breast of the shirt, a red belt, red stockings and skull cap with red cords. The canvas shoes are being made in this city by Amos Zellers. The many admirers of our excellent amateur club have contributed enough to pay for the uniforms.” From the Reading (PA) Times, July 14, 1875. Research from Don Stokes.

Team genealogy: Coming soon