1884 Chicago (Chicagos, White Stockings)

This rendering is based on incomplete 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 this uniform:
None

Written documentation on this uniform:
December 1883: “[At a meeting of the National League] the uniform committee recommended that the 1883 uniform be retained [for 1884].” From Base Ball’s 19th-Century Winter Meetings, 1857-1900 (SABR, 2018), citing the New York Clipper, December 1, 1883, and stating that the uniform committee was [John B.] Day, [George W.] Howe and [Al] Reach. Research from Michael R. McAvoy. The committee was most likely responsible for selecting and/or approving the stocking color for each team.

March 1884: “Al Reach has made a mammoth pair of running shoes for Anson, of Chicago. They are eleven inches long and are laced clean to the toes. There are eleven half-inch spikes in each shoe, eight in the soles and three in the heels.” From the Philadelphia Times, March 23, 1884.

March 1884: “Promptly with the 1st of April, ball-playing will commence in earnest on the Chicago grounds. […] The men will be required to report and have their practice uniforms on at 10 a.m.” From the Cincinnati Enquirer, March 31, 1884.

May 1, 1884, Chicago v. New York, at New York, Polo grounds, opening day: “Nothing was plainer than […] the white stockinged players.” From the New York Tribune, May 2, 1884. This report confirmed the team wore white stockings in 1884.

May 3, 1884, Chicago v. Philadelphia, at Philadelphia: “Philadelphia, Pa., May 3. — The White Stockings met with defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia Club today.” From the Chicago Tribune, May 4, 1884. Another reference to the color of the team’s stockings.

May 24, 1884, Chicago v. Buffalo, at Buffalo: “What was the matter with the Chicagos Saturday [May 24]? They came on the field looking untidy as a lot of slovenly domestics. Evidently their uniforms need washing, and Capt. Anson is respectfully informed that there is a good laundry on the site of the old Palace Hotel [in Buffalo].” From the Buffalo Commercial Advertiser, May 26, 1884. The Palace Hotel was a grand structure located on Prospect Avenue in Buffalo. It burned to the ground in 1881.

August 1884: “The White Stockings have yet to win their first game in Boston, and will work hard for victory.” From the Buffalo Commercial Advertiser, August 20, 1884.

1883-1885, referenced in 1961: “A release from A. G. Spalding and Brothers, the pioneer sporting goods manufacturing and supply firm, reveals some interesting information on the evolution of the baseball uniform. […] The Chicago White Stockings of this period [1883-1885] were regally outfitted in a manner indicative of their preeminence. They had three sets of uniforms of the finest materials. The White Stockings wore wide pants and tight-fitting sleeveless jerseys with capital letters spelling out CHICAGO emblazoned across the front. Every man had his distinctively colored flap-top cap and they wore silk stockings no less.” From Bill Madden, “Bill Madden’s Sports Folio,” the Scottsbluff (NE) Daily Star-Herald, April 14, 1961. Similar reports were published in other newspapers around the country at the start of the 1961 baseball season. Note that, to date, no reports have surfaced of the Chicago team, circa 1883, wearing sleeveless shirts.

Team genealogy: Chicago 1874-
Chicago reformed after the Great Fire of October 1871 and rejoined the National Association (NA) in 1874 and 1875 after a two-year absence. The NA was baseball’s first league, operating 1871-1875. Chicago joined the National League (NL) at its formation in 1876 and the team has played in the NL every year since 1876. Information from Paul Batesel, Players and Teams of the National Association, 1871-1875, from baseball-reference.com, and from wikipedia.com.

1884 Chicago summary

Uniform: white, white stockings
First worn:
Photographed:
Described: March, May
Material:
Manufacturer: Shoes by Al Reach
Supposition:
Variations: wore dirty uniforms in Buffalo May 24
Other items: wore practice uniforms
Home opener report: no, May 29 v. Detroit