1883 St. Louis (Browns)
Left: This rendering is based on visual documentation for uniform style and 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
Right: This rendering is based on written documentation for uniform style and color. No visual documentation is known and an artist’s conceptualization is used to create the rendering.
Rendering accuracy:Year: documented Team: documented
Visual documentation on these uniforms:
Photo A
Dated May 24, 1883, to May 27, 1883. The photo was taken before a game played in St. Louis against Eclipse, Louisville. Year of the photo can be confirmed by the appearance of player Mullane, who only played for St. Louis in 1883. Year of 1883 can also be confirmed by the fact that there are eight teams listed on the scoreboard behind the players. The American Association expanded to twelve teams in 1884. The date range of May 24 to May 27 can be confirmed by the team pairings on the scoreboard. These eight teams only played each other in this combination on these days. St. Louis played a three-game series with Eclipse on May 24, May 26 and May 27. The two teams did not play May 25, and they were the only two teams in the Association that played on May 27. The date range of May 24 to May 27 can also be confirmed by the appearance of players Oberbeck and Cuthbert, as both joined the team for the game played on May 24. A newspaper reported on May 26 that Oberbeck and player Hodnett, also in the team photo, were to join the Grand Avenues, an amateur team in St. Louis for a series of games beginning on May 29. Players wore a white uniform in this photo with dark caps, lettering, belt and stockings. Per newspaper reports from this season, the accent color in 1883 was red. Note the word “Bulletin” on the scoreboard behind the players. When the St. Louis team was on the road, a St. Louis newspaper reported on August 12, 1883, that “the Columbus-St. Louis game will be bulletined by innings on the big blackboard in center field.”
Top row, standing, from left: C Comiskey (82-89, 91), H Oberbeck (StL 83, Pit AA 83), (T Sullivan? mgr AA 83, UA 84), S Sullivan (AA 83, 84 UA 84) and P Deasley (83, 84). Middle, seated: B Gleason (82-87), J McGinnis (82-86), T Dolan (AA 83, 84, UA 84, NL 85, 86), T Mullane (83) and G Streif (83, 84). Front, on ground: H Nicol (83-86), N Cuthbert (NA 75, NL 76, AA 82, 83), A Latham (83-89) and C Hodnett (AA 83, UA 84). Many of the player IDs from Paul Winter, in part referencing the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 26, 1931, which published this photo on this date (see photo B). Identifications of some players also from Mark Fimoff, SABR 19th-century Pictorial Committee, including the identity of player Hodnett. Additional assistance from Nigel Ayres. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Team pairings between May 24 and May 27 from retrosheet.org. Info on Oberbeck and Cuthbert joining team from the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, May 24, 1883. Info on joining the amateur team from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 26, 1883. Years with team from baseball-reference.com.
Dated May 24, 1883, to May 27, 1883. Detail view of photo A. Detail view showed that the caps had a white cord above the brim. Detail view also showed three different methods for tying shirt laces: an inverted v-configuration, a “straight across” configuration, and a v-configuration. Detail view also suggests that the photo has been retouched and enhanced. Detail view from Oliver Kodner.
Dated May 24, 1883, to May 27, 1883. Another detail view of photo A. Detail view showed that players wore both short-sleeved and long-sleeved shirts in this photo. Player Latham, at left, reportedly wore “padded trousers” in August 1883, one of the first players to do so. It is unclear if he was wearing these pants in this team photo. Detail view from Oliver Kodner.
Photo B
Dated May 24, 1883, to May 27, 1883. This is the same team photo as shown above and has been incorrectly dated here as 1884. This version was published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on October 26, 1931, the same issue that reported the death of Charles Comiskey. The caption under the photo included player IDs, some of which have been refuted by researchers today. For example, the caption identified the person standing in street clothes as owner Chris Von der Ahe. Though unconfirmed, this person was more likely team manager Tom Sullivan. For reasons unknown, one player was removed from the photo when it was published in 1931. Note that player Deasley stood in the back row far right in the original image, see above, but was retouched out of the 1931 version. Researcher Paul Winter has studied this image and made an analysis of player identities. Winter posted the results of his study to the ootp forum after he was made aware of the 1931 publishing from a post by Benjamin Hochman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 15, 2016. Winter has determined that “there are obviously some problems with the [1931] caption” such as the identity of player Tip O’Neill, who “did not play for the Browns in 1883.” Winter surmised that the player identities were “perhaps written on the back” of the print, and this would explain errors by the Post-Dispatch, such as “Oberbeck being misread as O’Neill in 1931, and Strief as Street.”
Winter was also intrigued by the player listed as Nat Evans in the Post-Dispatch caption, saying, “I’ve done a lot of reading about the St. Louis Browns of the 1880s, and I’ve never heard of a Nat Evans.” Winter summarized the following, “there is a Nat Evans in baseball-reference, born in 1876 in Russia, died in New York in 1935, but with no record of ever playing baseball. It turns out, he was a gambler connected with the Black Sox scandal. Even more interesting, his family moved to St. Louis in 1883. Why would someone in 1931 put that name with a photo of the Browns?” In the SABR publication, Inventing Baseball: The 100 Greatest Games of the 19th Century (2013), researcher Mark Fimoff has identified this player not as Nat Evans, but as Charlie Hodnett. Did the Post-Dispatch in 1931 possibly interpret a handwritten “Hodnett” and as “Nat Evans”? In 1883 Hodnett was primarily a pitcher for the Grand Avenues, a St. Louis amateur club, however he began the season with the St. Louis team and made two starts on May 3 and May 20. After the game played on May 26, Hodnett, along with players Cuthbert and Oberbeck, were sent from St. Louis to play for the Grand Avenues, further suggesting the photo date range for this team photo. Info on Hodnett info from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 1, 1883, and May 26, 1883.
Photo C
Dated circa 1883. This photo of T Mansell (Det 83, StL AA 83), full view left, detail view right, was published in a newspaper in 1921. The player wore a white uniform with a dark-colored pill-box style cap, a shirt with thick dark-colored laces and a wide dark-colored belt. The newspaper caption under the photo read: “Thomas E. Mansell as a member of the Detroit National League team, 1883.” Mansell played for both Detroit and St. Louis in 1883 and the uniform worn in the photo more closely matched that of the St. Louis team. Photo and player ID from the Kansas City Journal, November 6, 1921. Years with teams from baseball-reference.com. Image scan from Paul Winter.
Photo D
Dated circa 1910, image not from the 1880s. Portrait of J Gleason (NL 77, AA 82, 83, UA 84, NL 85), full view at left, detail view at right. This image was published in 1910 and, according to the photo caption, was of Jack Gleason wearing a St. Louis Browns uniform from the 1880s. Gleason played for the “Browns” in 1877, 1882 and 1883. However, documentation from the Baseball Hall of Fame shows that the uniform Gleason was wearing was actually the 1910 St. Louis American League uniform. Image and player ID from Alfred H. Spink, The National Game, 1910 (1910). Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Documentation of the 1910 St. Louis American League uniform from the Baseball Hall of Fame, Dressed to the Nines online exhibit.
Written documentation on these uniforms:
February 1883: “The old name of ‘Brown Stockings’ has been abandoned, and the new organization will henceforth be known as the St. Louis club. Not only that, but the old brown stockings are to be discarded, and a hosiery of a bright red substituted. The shirts and trousers of the regular uniform will be of white flannel, trimmed with red cord, the name ‘St. Louis’ being worked on the breast of the shirts. The caps will also be made of white flannel, and are a very pretty pattern, and trimmed with red braid. Besides the regular, there will be a practice uniform made of dark gray material.” From the Cincinnati Enquirer, February 2, 1883. Research from Tom Shieber. Note, this description for the cap differs from what is shown in photo A. Photo A shows a dark-colored cap with a light braid.
February 1883: “The new uniforms of the St. Louis nine will have ‘St. Louis’ across the breast of the shirts.” From the Cincinnati Enquirer, February 18, 1883.
February 1883: “Last year [1882] the [St. Louis] team never came upon the field in full uniform, but this season [1883] they will be obliged to appear always in full dress, and a heavy penalty will follow the infringement of this rule.” From the Cincinnati Enquirer, February 19, 1883.
March 1883: “The St. Louis Club managers yesterday [on March 13 at a league meeting in St. Louis] presented all the visitors with portraits of last year’s team [1882] in the field and in full uniform and regular positions.” From the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, March 14, 1883. Research from Ed Morton.
March 1883: “The base-ball season in St. Louis opens on Saturday next [March 24] when the St. Louis Club for 1883 will come face to face with the Grand Avenues. […] The St. Louis professionals will then show up in their new uniforms. As the Grand Avenues will appear in brown stockings and the professionals in red, the public will have a chance to contrast the old with the new, and draw their own conclusions as to one of the moves inaugurated by [St. Louis] Manager Sullivan.” From the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, March 18, 1883. Research from Gary Kodner.
March 1883: “The St. Louis Club players will show up in their practice suits today, but tomorrow [March 25, 1883] they will come out in their new uniforms and red stockings.” From the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, March 24, 1883.
April 1883: “The St. Louis club this year will wear bright red flannel jackets with all collars.” From the Denver Rocky Mountain News, April 2, 1883. Research from Gary and Oliver Kodner, cardinalsuniformsandlogos.com, retrieved January 15, 2023.
April 1883: “The St. Louis uniform will be almost identical with Cincinnati, and this lack of distinction in dress will cause trouble. The old brown was…very popular, and should have been retained. It was very ill advised to model after Cincinnati, who, after all, is better entitled to the red hose than any other in the country, Boston not excepted.” From the Cincinnati Commercial Tribune, April 1, 1883. Research from John Thorn.
April 1, 1883, exhibition game, St. Louis: “The change in the [St. Louis] uniform is also appreciated. For, in comparing the brown stockings with the red stockings yesterday [April 1], the latter looked bright and handsome, while the others are remembered as dull and homely.” From the Cincinnati Enquirer, April 5, 1883, citing the St. Louis Globe-Democrat. Research from Tom Shieber.
April 1883: “Speaking of the St. Louis uniforms, the Republican says: ‘The uniform is perhaps the handsomest ever put on a ball field, but it is an imitation of the Cincinnatis. When St. Louis plays Cincinnati there will be some sad mixing up. Better have stuck to brown.’” From the Cincinnati Enquirer, April 5, 1883. Research from Tom Shieber.
April 1883: “The St. Louis’ new uniforms are identical with the Cincinnatis and trouble will ensue over their similarity.” From the Louisville Courier-Journal, April 8, 1883.
April 1883: “The trip of the St. Louis team to Springfield was a success financially and otherwise. The old Browns made twenty hits off Sullivan in the first game.” From the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, April 13, 1883. Use of the Browns nickname, even though it has been documented the team did not wear brown during this season.
April 14, 1883, St. Louis v. Ft. Wayne (NWL), at St. Louis, exhibition game: “The home team [St. Louis] presented a fine appearance in their white uniforms, which were as clean and neat as hands could make them.” From the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, April 15, 1883.
May 1, 1883, St. Louis v. Cincinnati, at Cincinnati, home opener: “The Cincinnatis opened […] in a tussle with the St. Louis Club — Browns no longer, but as red-legged as the winners of the race in 1882 [i.e., Cincinnati].” From the Cincinnati Enquirer, May 2, 1883.
June 1883: “This afternoon [June 2, 1883] the Browns opened their series with the Baltimores at the latter city.” From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 2, 1883. Use of the Browns nickname, even though it has been documented the team did not wear brown during this season.
July 1, 1883, St. Louis v. Athletic, Philadelphia, at St. Louis: “Fifteen errors, ten by the Athletics and five by the Browns, accounted for the unearned scores.” From the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, July 2, 1883. Use of the Browns nickname, even though it has been documented the team did not wear brown during this season.
July 1883: “The St. Louis Club has been fitted up with new white and scarlet caps and new uniforms.” From the Philadelphia Record, July 28, 1883. Research from Ed Morton.
August 1883: “The Browns and the Cincinnatis began a series of four games at Cincinnati this afternoon.” From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 3, 1883. Use of the Browns nickname, even though it has been documented the team did not wear brown during this season.
August 1883: “[St. Louis player Arlie] Latham, with his padded trousers, didn’t get much of a chance to show his ability in the base-sliding line here [in Cincinnati] this week. He didn’t get to the bases often enough.” From the Cincinnati Enquirer, August 8, 1883. Research from Ed Morton. St. Louis played at Cincinnati August 3 to August 6. Game dates from retrosheet.org.
August 1883: “The St. Louis Black Stockings and the Mutual Club, of Louisville, meet again today at Sportsmen’s Park [in St. Louis]. While the contest is in progress the Columbus-St. Louis game will be bulletined by innings on the big blackboard in center field.” From the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, August 12, 1883.
September 1883: “The St Louis ‘Browns’ as they are affectionately dubbed at home retain this name through a long existence both as a league alliance and an American Association Club. A change of uniform this year from the conventional brown to red head gear, jackets, and stockings necessitated a change of name, so the title ‘St Louis Club’ was adopted. Enthusiasts, admirers, and old-time patrons of the game however still rightly call them the St Louis Browns.” From the Evansville (IN) Journal, September 29, 1883. Research from Gary Kodner.
1883: “St. Louis had exchanged its brown stockings for bright red, the Globe-Democrat approving but the Cincinnati papers registering a protest.” From Preston D. Orem, Baseball 1882-1891 From The Newspaper Accounts (1966, 1967, reprinted by SABR in 2021), pg. 62.
Team genealogy:
St. Louis 1882-
St. Louis was formed to join the American Association (AA) in 1882. The AA was a major league operating between 1882 and 1891 and St. Louis played in the AA in every year of the league’s existence. The team moved to the National League (NL) for 1892 season. The NL began operation in 1876 and St. Louis has played in the NL every year since 1892. Information from wikipedia.
1883 St. Louis summary
Uniform: white, red stockings and caps
First worn: March 24, St. Louis
Photographed: team photo from late May
Described: February-May
Material: flannel
Manufacturer:
Supposition:
Variations: new white uniforms in July with red-and-white caps, Latham wore padded pants in August
Other items: dark gray practice uniform, red flannel jackets
Home opener report: no, May 15 v. St. Louis
Rendering posted: August 3, 2019
Diggers on this uniform: Ed Morton, Gary Kodner, John Thorn, Mark Fimoff, Nigel Ayres, Paul Winter, Tom Shieber,