1883 Allegheny, Pittsburgh (Alleghenys, Pittsburghs)

This rendering is based on visual documentation for uniform style and written documentation for color. Some important 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 1883. Photo date confirmed by appearance of players Oberbeck, Dickerson and McLaughlin. Players wore a white uniform in this photo with dark belts and dark stockings. Players wore shirts with dark-colored lace ties. Nine of the thirteen players in this photo wore extra long laces on their shirts and the extended tails were tucked into the ties running down the shirt. Several players in the back row may have worn a shirt tied with white laces.

Top row, from left: H Oberbeck (Pit 83, StL 83), E Swartwood? (82-84), B Taylor (82, 83), J Battin (82-84) and G Creamer? (83, 84). Middle: J Hayes (83, 84), B Dickerson (83), (A Pratt? mgr 82, 83), M Mansell (82-84) and E Nolan? (83). Front: D Driscoll (82, 83), J Peters (82-84) and F McLaughlin (83). Player IDs from Nigel Ayres and from baseball-reference.com. Years with team from baseball-reference.com.

Dated 1883. Detail view of photo A. Detail view showed extra-long shirt laces threaded down through the ties on the shirt.

Written documentation on this uniform:
March 1883: “Pittsburgh, March 29. — […] At the meeting of the Directors last Tuesday the uniform decided upon – white flannel pans and shirts, cardinal stockings, belts and caps, word ‘Allegheny’ across the breasts of the shirts.” From the Louisville Courier-Journal, April 1, 1883. Note, the team name does not appear on the uniform shown in photo A.

April 1883: “The [Allegheny] uniform was decided upon: white flannel pants and shirts, cardinal jackets, belts and caps, word ‘Allegheny’ across the breast of the shirts.” From the Cincinnati Commercial Tribune, April 1, 1883. Research from John Thorn. Note, the team name does not appear on the uniform shown in photo A.

Team genealogy:
 Pittsburgh 1870s-
Pittsburgh began as Allegheny, an independent pro team in Pittsburgh formed in the late 1870s. Allegheny joined the American Association (AA) at its formation in 1882. The AA was a major league operating between 1882 and 1891. Allegheny played in the AA through the 1886 season and then moved to the National League (NL) as Pittsburgh in 1887. The NL began operation in 1876 and Pittsburgh has played in the league every year from 1887 to present time. Information from wikipedia.

1883 Allegheny summary

Uniform: white, red stockings
First worn:
Photographed: team photo from year
Described: March, April
Material:
Manufacturer:
Supposition: cap style
Variations: may have had city name on shirt
Other items:
Home opener report: no, May 1 v. Athletic