1885 Atlanta (Atlantas)
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, partially based on visual documentation from a related year, is used to create the rendering.
Rendering accuracy: Year: documented Team: documented
Visual documentation on this uniform:
Photo A
Dated mid-May 1885 to mid-July 1885. Year of photo can be confirmed by the appearance of every player on the team. All of these men only played for Atlanta in 1885 and were not resigned for the 1886 season. Date range of mid-May 1885 to mid-July 1885 can be suggested by the appearance of player Mappes and the absence of player E Silch (Atl 85, Oma WL 85). Mappes, who was included in the team picture above, joined the team on May 15, 1885. Silch, who was not included in the picture, joined the team on July 18, 1885. Researcher Terry Sloope notes that “Atlanta had a remarkably stable team that year. All of the players who started with the team in April appear to have stayed with the team all year. I checked boxscores for all players listed in the [team] picture. With the exception of Mappes, they were all there at the beginning and at the end. Presumably Silch wasn’t in the picture because he wasn’t on the team yet.” The mid-May 1885 to mid-July 1885 date range can be further suggested by the fact that a drawing made from this photo was published in The Sporting Life on August 9, 1885, see photo B. Players wore a white uniform in this photo, with a dark-colored belt and stockings. The city name was arched across the chest in dark letters. The caps were white in color with two dark horizontal bands and the pants had thin dark trim running down the pant seam. A contemporary newspaper account described one of Atlanta’s uniforms in 1885 as white with maroon trimmings.
Top row, from left: E Cleveland (85), G Mappes (Atl 85, Mil WL 85), G McVey (Atl 85, Bro AA 85), B Clark (85), J Cahill (85) and L Henke (85). Middle: F Jevne (85), W Goldsby (85), (G Schmelz mgr 85) and R Bittman (85). Front: E Dundon (85), T Sullivan (85) and A Bauer (85). Image and player IDs from the Atlanta Journal, March 22, 1936. Image scan from Carson Lorey. Same image and player IDs also from the Atlanta Constitution, April 15, 1906. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Researcher Nigel Ayres added that this team suffered “the first fatality on a professional baseball field in August [1885] when their starting first-baseman Lewis Henke attempted to reach base and incurred a violent crash into [Nashville first baseman] Lefty Marr.” Researcher Terry Sloope has found a full account of the incident in the August 16, 1885, issue of the Atlanta Constitution. The newspaper reported that during a game on August 14 regular Nashville first baseman Len Sowders, who had an injured thumb, “asked relief from first base [and] was put in left field and Marr was substituted for him at first.” Henke came to bat in the sixth inning with a runner on third and “after two strikes hit the ball to third. [James] Hillery caught to the ball and started to field it to the home plate to out the runner, but [base runner Elmer] Cleveland had such a start that he seemed safely home and Hillery threw the ball like lightning to the first. Marr was standing exactly on the base and the ball coming with extraordinary swiftness bounced out of his hands. He leaned forward to recover it, and as he did so Henke came thundering down to the base. [Henke] was the swiftest and most daring base runner on the Atlanta nine, as well as one of the heaviest and most muscular of its players. As Marr caught at the ball the second time he came into collision with Henke. His head struck Henke’s side with fearful force. Both players were stunned, but Marr recovered in a moment, and seizing the ball which had rolled a few feet away, threw it to the pitcher. Henke was lying on the ground and was seen to writhe. It was the opinion of the crowd generally that the breath was knocked out and that he would be alright in a few moments. After he had lain prostrate from some time, Manager Schmelz carried him to the dressing room and substituted ‘Dummy Dundon’ in his place. Henke was brought to the Hotel Weinmeister, where he boarded, in a hack [i.e., a hackney or horse-drawn carriage] and seemed considerably better at night. By midnight, however, he became restless, and the doctors began to suspect serious internal injuries. He was attended by Drs. Alexander, Nicholson and Harris. By daybreak [of August 15] they had discovered that his liver had been ruptured and that his recovery was almost impossible. The patient sank steadily all morning and by two o’clock it was found that all hope of remedying his injury would have to be abandoned. At three o’clock he became unconscious, and at six o’clock he breathed his last. The liver had been torn from the ligaments and had never ceased to bleed since the fatal shock. A telegram was sent to the wife of the unfortunate man at a late hour night before last, telling her of his critical condition. She resides in Cincinnati and the dispatch did not reach her until yesterday afternoon. A few minutes after she received it, she was handed another dispatch telling of her husband’s death and that his remains would be brought to Cincinnati. He died surrounded by the entire Atlanta team, who were in tears for their unfortunate comrade’s fate, and by a number of friends, who had interested themselves in his case. His body was taken in charge by the directors of the Atlanta Base Ball club and was placed in a heavy metal casket. Mr. H. H. Knowles, one of the directors, took the remains in charge and volunteered to escort them to Cincinnati. At 10 o’clock [on August 16] the funeral services were held at the Hotel Weinmeister. Rev. C. M. Beckwith, rector of St. Luke’s Cathedral, read the beautiful Episcopal burial service over the dead in the presence of a large number of friends. The Atlanta club then bore the remains to the [Atlanta] depot. Fully two thousand people lined Marietta and Pryor streets and witnessed the solemn procession. The remains will reach Cincinnati this afternoon and will be interred tomorrow [August 17]. The coffin was covered with flowers sent by Mr. Henry W. Grady and other directors of the local club. The directors will continue the dead player’s salary for the entire season. […] As soon as it was ascertained that Henke was seriously injured, it was determined to postpone the [August 15] game between Atlanta and Nashville. Marr, who had the fatal collision with Henke was one of his best friends. They used to play together before this season and knew each other intimately. [Both were from Cincinnati.] Henke was a member of the Episcopal church. His last words were a message of love to his wife and baby.” The Macon Telegraph also reported on the incident at first base stating that Henke “ran violently against the knee of Marr [note that the Constitution said head, not knee], the knee joint striking him apparently full in the stomach. Henke showed immediately that he was badly hurt, and in a moment was lying stretched out almost on the base. He was carried from the field to the dressing room. […] Although he had clearly made his base after a heavy hit, no one of the players, no one of the great crowd looking on, knew that the infallible umpire [had] called him out.” The New York Times also reported on the incident and included that on his death bed “Henke observing his friend by his side [teammate Red Bittman] whispered to him: ‘Bitt, do not play today; I feel that I am dying.’ ‘What shall I tell your wife for you?’ Bittman inquired. ‘Just tell her I got hurt in yesterday’s game and died from it,’ he replied as he again closed his eyes, and in three minutes he was dead.” Macon Telegraph and New York Times research from baseballhistoyrdaily.com, retrieved November 14, 2021.
Dated mid-May 1885 to mid-July 1885. Detail view of photo A. Detail view showed that the lace ties were white in color, not dark as was suggested by The Sporting Life drawing published August 5, 1885, see photo B.
Photo B
Dated August 5, 1885. This drawing was based on a photograph, see photo A, and was published in The Sporting Life on this day. Player IDs were not included with the printing of this drawing. The drawing was published six days before the death of player Henke, top row far right. See photo A for more information on this incident. Image scan from Chuck McGill.
Dated August 5, 1885. Detail view of photo B. Detail views shows lace ties in a unique diamond pattern. The ties were depicted as dark in color in this drawing but were white in color in the team photo. The diamond pattern was unique and has not been seen in any other reference from this period. Detail view also showed that the lace ties extended down the shirt differently on certain players, extending below the lettering in some cases. This may indicate the shirts were not all produced at one time. Detail view also shows that the lettering across the chest extended to the arm pits, and that the seven letters of the city name were unevenly divided on either side of the lace ties.
Written documentation on this uniform:
March 1885: “The Atlantas uniform is solid blue with red belts, caps and stockings. This is something very novel and will give the nine a queer appearance in the field.” From the Nashville Tennessean, March 9, 1885. Research from Don Stokes.
March 1885: “Messrs. Selig Bros. & Co. [9 Whitehall St., Atlanta] made the uniforms of the Atlantas with only one days’s notice. The suits […] reflect much credit upon the excellent firm, and indicate that Atlanta can get things up with the greatest dispatch and in handsome style.” From the Atlanta Constitution, March 13, 1885. Research from Terry Sloope. This was part of a report on the first exhibition game in Atlanta vs. Louisville of the American Association. The newspaper noted “it was the first game the team ever played together.”
May 1885: “The Atlantas are playing in their new suits of white pants and shirts, brown stockings and white caps trimmed with brown.” From The Sporting Life, May 20, 1885. Other reports from this period say the accent color was maroon, not brown as stated here. It may be that the maroon accents were close to brown in color.
May 1885: “The Atlantas will appear [in a game v. Nashville in Atlanta on May 26] for the first time in their new uniforms, white shirts and pants with maroon trimmings, caps and stockings.” From the Nashville Tennessean, May 26, 1885.
June 1885: “Atlanta and Nashville have new uniforms. The former with white and maroon trimmings.” From The Sporting Life, June 3, 1885. Research from Don Stokes.
June 1885: “Atlanta’s uniform is white with maroon trimmings.” From the Louisville Courier-Journal, June 7, 1885. Research from Don Stokes.
July 1885: “The Southern League clubs don’t seem to mind a little expense. Every month or so the clubs get new uniforms.” From The Sporting Life, July 29, 1885.
September 1885: “A photo of John Patrick Cahill in his base ball togs went into the corner stone of the new Capitol in Atlanta.” From The Sporting Life, September 16, 1885. This report may suggest that individual portraits of the Atlanta players were made at the same time as the team photo.
Team genealogy: Coming soon
Rendering posted: August 7, 2016
Diggers on this uniform: Carson Lorey, Chuck McGill, Don Stokes, Nigel Ayres, Terry Sloope,