1882 Athletic, Philadelphia (Athletics)

These renderings are based on written documentation for uniform style and color. No visual documentation is known and an artist’s conceptualization is used to create the renderings.

Rendering accuracy:Year: documented    Team: documented

Visual documentation on these uniforms:
None

Written documentation on these uniforms:
February 1882: “The [Athletic] uniform will consist of drab-colored pants, caps and shirts, with red stockings and neckties.” From the New York Clipper, February 18, 1882. Research from Ed Morton. This same report was published by Preston Orem in his research pamphlet, Baseball from Newspaper Accounts 1882 (early 1960s). Orem passage from John Thorn.

March 1882: “The Athletics, of Philadelphia, will wear drab colored pants, caps and shirts, with red stockings and ties.” From the Cincinnati Enquirer, February 19, 1882. A similar report was published in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, March 1, 1882. Research on both from Ed Morton.

March 1882: “The Athletics have changed the color of their stockings from blue to red. With this exception the uniform will remain the same as last season [1881].” From the Philadelphia Record, March 25, 1882. Research from Ed Morton. The Athletics played as a professional touring team before joining the American Association in 1882.

April 1882: “The Philadelphia Athletics will wear red stockings this year instead of the old-time blue.” From the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, April 8, 1882. Research from Ed Morton.

April 1882: “[Photographer] F. Gutekunst has been engaged to take a photographic view of the Athletic base ball grounds, the nine and the spectators during the game with the Yale College club tomorrow [April 10, 1882].” From the Philadelphia Times, April 9, 1882. Frederick Gutekunst was a photographer in Philadelphia. In 1874 Gutekunst traveled with the Athletic-Boston baseball tour of England. England tour info from George V. Tuohey, A History of the Boston Base Ball Club (1897). All research from Ed Morton.

June 1882: “The members of the Athletic Club will don a new and handsome uniform upon their return home. It is made up of white flannel shirts, pants and cap, with a red cord around the crown of the cap and at the sides of the pants. The stockings will be maroon.” From the Philadelphia Record, June 8, 1882. Research from Ed Morton. The Athletics played on the road from June 4, 1882 to July 4, 1882, returning to play Cincinnati at home on July 6, 1882. Game dates from retrosheet.org. Note that this report stated the red cording on the cap was “around the crown.”

June 18, 1882: Athletic, Philadelphia, v. St. Louis at St. Louis: “A ring formed around the players [arriving at the ballpark] and found the Athletics in gray with red stockings.” From Preston D. Orem, Baseball 1882-1891 From The Newspaper Accounts (1966, 1967, reprinted by SABR in 2021), pg. 18.

June 1882: “The Athletics of Philadelphia upon their return home from their Western tour will sport a neat uniform of white flannel with maroon-colored stockings.” From the New York Clipper, June 24, 1882, and from the Chicago Inter-Ocean, June 24, 1882. Clipper research from Ed Morton. This report was similar to what the Philadelphia Record published on June 8, 1882, see above. The Athletics played on the road from June 4, 1882 to July 4, 1882, returning to play Cincinnati at home on July 6, 1882. Game dates from retrosheet.org.

June 1882: “On the Athletics’ return from their Western trip they will don their new uniform. It is composed of white shirt, trousers and cap, with red cording. The stockings will be dark maroon in color.” From the Cincinnati Enquirer, June 22, 1882. This report was similar to what the Philadelphia Record published on June 8, 1882, see above.

June 1882: “The Athletics, who left here [St. Louis] for Pittsburg[h] on Saturday last [June 24], will return in August. Upon their return home from the present Western tour they will throw away their shabby gray uniforms and come out is suits of all white, with maroon stockings.” From the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, June 27, 1882. This report was similar to what the Philadelphia Record published on June 8, 1882, see above.

July 1882: “The Athletics will appear on the field in completely new uniforms. They will wear white trousers and blouses trimmed with red silk cording. Their stockings will be of a dark garnet color, and their caps after the fashion of the old Boston club — oval crowns with octagonal seams and the front drawn forward and pinned at the peak.” From the Cincinnati Enquirer, July 6, 1882. Research from Ed Morton.

July 6, 1882, Athletic, Philadelphia v. Cincinnati, at Philadelphia, Oakdale Park: “The home-team [Athletic] appeared in a new uniform of white flannel, with maroon and red trimmings and stockings.” From the New York Clipper, July 15, 1882.

July 6, 1882, Athletic, Philadelphia. v. Cincinnati, at Philadelphia: “The Athletics, for their first game at home on their return from the West, wore their new uniforms of white flannel, trimmed with maroon, but lost to the Reds, 10 to 1.” From Preston D. Orem, Baseball 1882-1891 From The Newspaper Accounts (1966, 1967, reprinted by SABR in 2021), pg. 23.

1882: “The Athletics were […] careless in their dress. Captain Latham wore an old gray cap instead of the ‘required white’ and set a bad example.” From Preston Orem, Baseball from Newspaper Accounts 1882 (early 1960s), referencing the St. Louis Globe-Democrat. No specific documentation given by Orem. Orem passage from John Thorn. Research reveals that the entry was published in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, October 8, 1882, and included more saying that “Weaver, their pitcher, came out [in St. Louis] in blue stockings instead of in red like all the rest.”

Team genealogy: Athletic, Philadelphia 1880-1890
Athletic was formed in Philadelphia, PA, in 1880 as a touring team and joined the American Association (AA) in 1882. The AA was a major league operating 1882-1891. Athletic played in the AA between 1882 and 1890. The team was expelled from the AA after the 1890 season and the team subsequently folded. The Philadelphia team of the Players’ League (PL) joined the AA for the 1891 season after the PL folded in 1890 and used the Athletic name. Information from wikipedia.

1882 Athletic summary

Uniform: gray, red stockings
First worn:
Photographed:
Described: February-April, June
Material:
Manufacturer:
Supposition:
Variations: cap style, shirt style
Other items:
Home opener report: no, May 2 v. Baltimore

Uniform: white, red stockings
First worn: July 6, Philadelphia
Photographed:
Described: June, July
Material: flannel
Manufacturer:
Supposition: cap style, shirt style
Variations: Latham wore gray cap with white uniform
Other items: