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

Visual documentation on this uniform:

Photo A

Dated 1875, Boston v. Athletic, Philadelphia, at Boston. Photo date based on player Craver. 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). Photo date attributed as June 6, 1875. Per retrosheet.org, Athletic played at Boston May 15, May 17, June 19, July 7, July 8 and October 11.

Dated 1875. Detail of photo A.

Photo B

Dated 1875, most likely 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. Boston played at St. Louis in official games on June 2, June 5, June 7, August 19 and August 21. June 2nd was most likely the date for this photo as a newspaper reported that on this day “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 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: (Greffen?, mgr), 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, 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. Dates Boston played at St. Louis from retrosheet.org. Info on June 2nd game from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 3, 1875. Image scan from Ken Samoil.

Dated 1875. Detail view of photo B.

Photo C

Dated circa 1875, published 1875. Series of photos of G Wright (Bos 71-75, Bos NL 76-78, 80, 81), 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.

Written documentation on this uniform:
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.

April 19, 1875, Boston v. New Haven, at Boston, Union Grounds: “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.