1875 Boston (Bostons, Red Stockings)
This rendering is based on visual documentation for uniform style only. An educated guess is made on uniform color and on minor details that may be missing or difficult to determine.
Rendering accuracy:Year: documented Team: documented
This rendering is included in the book, BASEBALL THREADS.
Visual documentation on this uniform:
Photo A
Dated July 8, 1875, Boston v. Athletic, Philadelphia, at Boston. Year of photo based on the appearance of player Craver, his only year with Athletic. Date of July 8 from researcher Bob Tiemann, who stated that a “Boston Globe article the next day [July 9, 1875] said, ‘after an enterprising photographer has gratified his ambition for pictures of the two teams, the game was called with the Bostons at bat.’” Tiemann added that “since Harry Wright donned a uniform for the photo, he played right field in the game, his only championship game appearance of the season.” The Boston players wore a white uniform in this photo, with a white cap, dark belts and dark stockings. The city name was arched across the front of a scalloped bib. The traditional accent color for the team was red.
Top row, from left: G Hall (Bos 74, Ath 75, 76), G Bechtel (Ath 70, 71, 75), B Craver (Ath 75), C Anson (Ath 72-75), E Sutton (Ath 73-76), J Clapp (Ath 73-75), D White (Bos 73-75), A Spalding (Bos 71-75), G Wright (Bos 71-75, Bos NL 76-78, 80, 81), C McVey (Bos 71, 72, 74, 75) and H Wright (Bos 71-75, Bos NL 76-81). Front: W Fisler (Ath 66-76), D Force (Ath 75,76), D Eggler (Ath 75, 76), D McBride (Ath 63-75), A Leonard (Bos 72-75, Bos NL 76-78), J O’Rourke (Bos 73-75, Bos NL 76-78, 80), R Barnes (Bos 71-75) and H Schafer (Bos 71-75, Bos NL 76-78). Years with teams from Paul Batesel, Players And Teams Of The National Association, 1871-1875 (2012) and Marshall D. Wright, The National Association Of Base Ball Players, 1857-1870 (2000).
Dated July 8, 1875. Detail view of photo A. The team’s scalloped bib can best be seen on the player at left.
Photo B
Dated June 2, 1875. Photo of Boston and St. Louis teams at St. Louis. Players sit intermixed and were not separated by team. Photo year of 1875 confirmed by the appearance of St. Louis players Chapman, Hague and Pike, all of whom only played for St. Louis in 1875. The June 2 date can be determined by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch which on June 3 reported that “the St. Louis club arrived upon the grounds about 3:10, and the Boston visitors half an hour later. Before commencing the game, the players exercised a while in the field and then had their pictures taken in a group.” The St. Louis Globe-Democrat stated on June 3 that “immediately after the arrival of the Champions [i.e., Boston], they were grouped with the Browns and also photographed, Managers Wright and Graffen being included to give the pictures a venerable look.” The Boston players in this photo wore the same uniform as shown in photo A.
Top row, from left: Cuthbert (StL NA 75, StL NL 76, StL AA 82, 83), J Manning (Bos NA 73, 75, Bos NL 76, 78), H Dehlman (StL NA 75, StL NL 76,77), A Spalding (Bos 71-75), D Pearce (StL NA 75, StL NL 76,77), C McVey (Bos 71, 72, 74, 75), T Miller (StL NA 75), A Leonard (Bos NA 72-75, Bos NL 76-78), J Battin (StL NA 75, StL NL 76,77) and T Beals (Bos 74, 75). Front: (S Graffen, StL mgr 75, 76), D White (Bos 73-75), G Bradley (StL NA 75, StL NL 76), J O’Rourke (Bos NA 73-75, Bos NL 76-78, 80), J Chapman (StL 75), B Hague (StL 75), G Wright (Bos NA 71-75, Bos NL 76-78, 80, 81), L Pike (StL 75), R Barnes (Bos 71-75) and (H Wright, Bos mgr NA 71-75, Bos NL 76-81). Player IDs from photo. Years with teams from Paul Batesel, Players And Teams Of The National Association, 1871-1875 (2012), Marshall D. Wright, The National Association Of Base Ball Players, 1857-1870 (2000) and baseball-reference.com. Globe-Democrat research from Bob Tiemann. Image scan from Ken Samoil.
Dated June 2, 1875. Detail view of photo B. Detail view showed a white coat worn by Boston player Spalding, top row third from left in this detail view, and a white buttoned sweater with dark trim worn by Boston player G Wright, front row third from right in this detail view.
Photo C
Dated circa 1875, published 1875. Series of photos of G Wright (Bos 71-75, Bos NL 76-78, 80, 81) and at least one other Boston player, full view at left, detail view of one frame at right. Photos were published in 1875, and may have been taken between 1871 and 1875. Detail view showed a Boston uniform that was similar to the uniform shown in photos A & B. Images from George Wright’s Book for 1875 (1875), a pamphlet published to demonstrate cricket and baseball techniques. Original images from Smith & Bousley, Salem, MA.
Photo D
Dated 1875. Illustration of the Boston uniform, full view at left, detail at right, from the Catalog of All Kinds of Fine Sporting Goods, by James F. Marsters, Brooklyn, New York (1875). Illustration depicted a sculpted bib with red trim, red stockings, and red belt. Photos from this year do not show red trim on the Boston shirt bib. Image scan from commons.wikimedia.org. Image link from Jonathan Popovich.
Written documentation on this uniform:
February 1875: “Tomorrow will be an important day for the ball-tossing fraternity. […] In the evening the regular annual convention will be held. Several delegates have arrived and others are expected, […] representing Boston, Atlantic, Athletic, St. Louis, Chicago, Hartford, Mutual, Red stocking (St. Louis), New Haven, Keokuk and the Centennial nines.” From the Boston Post, March 1, 1875, page 2, dateline: Philadelphia, February 28.
March 1875: “St. Louis has christened her new Base Ball Club the Red Stockings. That’s stealing.” From the Boston Post, March 9, 1875, page 1.
March 1875: “There will be three nines in blue stockings and two in red this season. This is silly. Why not have a distinct color for each nine? There are the Boston Reds,’ the Athletic ‘Blues,’ the St. Louis ‘Browns,’ the Chicago ‘Whites,’ the New York ‘Greens,’ and the Atlantic ‘Magentas.’ What club will wear the gray, the pink, the yellow or the striped or barred stockings is not known.” From the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, March 12, 1875.
March 1875: “The Boston club will open their new rooms in April. They will be in the rear of George Wright’s new store. The club will team a grand match on Fast Day with the Hartfords, under the ten men rule, that being the new rule for exhibitions.” From the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, March 17, 1875, page 4.
April 1875: “The Hartfords, Elm City, Athletics and Westerns, of Keokuk, will all wear blue stockings. What nonsense this is. Are there not enough are there not colors enough to select from without copying those of the leading clubs? The Bostons are the original ‘Reds,’ the ‘Athletics’ being the first to don the blue. The Hartfords should have chosen the gray, and the Westerns dark brown or Buffalo color.” From the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, April 1, 1875, page 2. Research from Ed Morton.
April 19, 1875, Boston v. New Haven, at Boston, Boston Grounds, opening day: “The Red Stockings played their new man, Latham, on first base, Manning in the right, and McVey at center field, otherwise the nine were in their old positions.” From the Boston Globe, April 20, 1875, page 3.
April 19, 1875, Boston v. New Haven, at Boston, Boston Grounds, opening day: “The regular professional championship season for 1875 was inaugurated on the 19th of April, […] the contestants being the champion Red Stockings of Boston and the new professional nine of the Elm City Club of New Haven.” From the New York Clipper, May 1, 1875. Report suggested the team wore their traditional stocking color of red in 1875.
June 1, 1875, Boston v. Ludlow, KY, at Ludlow Base Ball Grounds, exhibition game: “The Reds, appearing in their fresh and familiar looking dress, went to bat. […] Captain Harry Wright was dressed as the rest, except that he wore a shirt bearing on its breast the initial letter of the old Cincinnati Club.” From the Cincinnati Commercial, June 2, 1875. Research from Cam Miller, The Queen City Historical Review: The Cincinnati Baseball Historical Review No. 7, July 13, 2022, retrieved February 15, 2023.
August 1875: “Boston vs. Athletic — It is now very evident that there is going to be a tough struggle between the Reds and the Blues during September and October for the possession of the pennant for 1875-76.” From the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, August 25, 1875.
Team genealogy: Boston 1871-1952
Boston was formed to enter the National Association (NA) in 1871. The NA was baseball’s first league, operating 1871-1875. Boston played in the NA in every year of the league’s existence and moved to the National League (NL) upon its start in 1876. Boston played in the NL from 1876 to 1952 and moved to Milwaukee for the 1953 NL season. Information from Paul Batesel, Players And Teams of the National Association, 1871-1875, from baseball-reference.com and from wikipedia.com.
Rendering posted: July 28, 2014
Diggers on this uniform: Bob Tiemann, Cam Miller, Ed Morton, Jonathan Popovich, Ken Samoil,