1876 St. Louis (Brown Stockings, Browns)

This rendering is based on visual documentation for uniform style and partial 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: documented    Team: documented

Visual documentation on this uniform:

Photo A

Dated 1876. Year of photo based on appearance of player Mack, who only played for St. Louis in 1876. Players wore a tight-fitting white uniform in this photo. The short-sleeved pullover shirt had a crew neck with no collar. The neck line was accented with a Greek key pattern. A newspaper report from 1876 called the team the “Brown Stockings,” indicating the accent color of the uniform was brown.

Top row, standing, from left: J Blong (StL Reds NA 75, StL Browns NL 76,77), G Bradley (NA 75, NL 76) and H Dehlman (NA 75, NL 76,77). Middle, seated: J Battin (NA 75, NL 76,77), J Clapp (76,77), T McGinley (Bos NL 76), L Pike (NA 75, NL 76), M McGeary (76,77), D Pearce (NA 75, NL 76,77) and D Mack (76). Front, on ground: N Cuthbert (NA 75, NL 76, AA 82,83). Player IDs from Jon David Cash, Before They Were Cardinals (2002) referencing an original photo at State Historical Society of Missouri, Columbia, MO. Note, some of the players in this photo were originally mis-identified in Alfred H Spink’s The National Game (1910). Image scan and research from Mark Firmoff, SABR 19th-century Pictorial Committee.

Dated 1876. Detail of photo A. Detail view showed the Greek key pattern around the neck and also on the team’s fabric belt. The letter forms on the shirts were very well made for this period, indicating excellent handwork.

Dated 1876. Another detail view of photo A. This view showed the team’s brown stockings. The shoes, most likely brown as well, were unusual for this time period as many teams wore white shoes throughout the 1870s. Also note the flat-sided baseball bat shown in the detail view.

Written documentation on this uniform:
March 1876: “The shirt [of the Active Club of Reading, PA] is to be without a collar, the same as the St. Louis style, and to slip down over the head.” From the Wilmington (DE) Daily Gazette, March 2, 1876. Research from Ed Morton.

April 1876: “The coming week will be a lively one for the Browns. The following [exhibition] games have been arranged: […] Saturday return game of [St. Louis] Reds with Browns at Grand avenue park [in St. Louis on April 22]. This will be the farewell game of the Browns before they leave for a trip to Ohio and Kentucky, and they will accordingly signalize it by appearing in their new uniforms for the first time.” From the St. Louis Republican, April 16, 1876.

April 22, 1876, St. Louis Browns v. St.Louis Reds, at St. Louis, Grand Avenue Park, exhibition game: “The Browns had on their new suits, and the uniform, though it varies little from that of last year, is a very tasty one.” From the St.Louis Globe-Democrat, April 23, 1876.

April 25, 1876, St. Louis v. Cincinnati, at Cincinnati, home opener: “The Brown Stockings acknowledged that the Reds outplayed them at every point.” From the New York Clipper, May 6, 1876. An example of the team nickname in use, suggesting the color of the team’s stockings.

May 5, 1876, St. Louis v. Chicago, at St. Louis, Grand Avenue Park, home opener: “In presenting the Chicago team with an unbroken chain of nothings, the Brown Stockings have thoroughly reinstated themselves in the good graces of their admirers. […] The Browns, as usual, were victorious on their own grounds, and the crowd almost went wild with enthusiasm.” From the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, May 6, 1876. Examples of the team nickname, in long and short forms.

June 22, 1876, St. Louis v. Athletic, Philadelphia, at St. Louis, Grand Avenue Park: “Fisler, Hall and Malone were the only Blue legs who could do anything with the stick, while all of the Browns, except Blong, got in a safe hit.” From the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, June 23, 1876, and the Chicago Tribune, June 23, 1876. St. Louis shut out the Athletics 5 to 0. The Globe-Democrat made note of this by saying, “Twelve hundred spectators witnessed the reappearance of that St. Louis goose. […] The Athletics were made painfully aware of the presence of the bird of ill-omen.”

July 16, 1876, St. Louis v. Hartford, at St. Louis: “Errors were about even. Four blue-legs got base by error, and two brown-legs.” From the St. Louis Republican, July 16, 1876.

October 1876: “The Brown Stockings will disband for the season in a day or to [sic].” From the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, October 22, 1876. This entry implied the team wore brown stockings throughout the 1876 season.

1876, referenced in January 1877: “The [Indianapolis] uniform for the coming season [1877] will be made of heavy cricket flannel […] and leather shoes, such as were worn by the St. Louis Browns last year [1876].” From the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, January 28, 1877.

1876, referenced in April 1877: “The St. Louis Club will not wear tight fitting shirts this summer [1877]. Last year [1876] they got too big for their clothes, and what they want this year is plenty of room to swell out.” From the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, April 1, 1877.

Team genealogy: St. Louis 1874-1877
St. Louis was formed to join the National Association (NA) in 1874. The NA was baseball’s first league, operating 1871-1875. As with many teams of the period, the Brown Stocking name came from the team uniform. After two years in the NA, St Louis joined the National League (NL) at its formation in 1876, and played two seasons in the NL. St Louis was not included for the 1878 NL season. The Brown Stocking identity was subsequently applied to the St Louis American Association team, 1882-1889, shortened to Browns about 1883, and lastly used by the St Louis American League team, 1902-1953. –Information from Paul Batesel, Players and Teams of the National Association, 1871-1875, and from baseball-reference.com.

1876 St. Louis summary

Uniform: white, brown stockings
First worn: April 22
Photographed: unspecified during year
Described: March-July, October
Material: flannel
Manufacturer:
Supposition: cap style
Variation:
Other items:
Home opener report: yes, May 5 v. Chicago