1886 Atlanta (Atlantas)

These renderings are 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 renderings.

Rendering accuracy:

Year: documented    Team: documented

Visual documentation on these uniforms:

Photo A

Dated 1886. Photo date confirmed by appearance of players Lynch, Cline, and Gunson, and manager Purcell. Players in photo wore a dark uniform with white lettering, belts and stockings. The cap was white with horizontal bands. A contemporary newspaper account states the uniform color was blue. Two players in the back row wore a uniform with a different lettering style for the city name. The letter forms were thinner and smaller and positioned in a more pronounced arch. Players wore both short and long sleeved shirts in this photo. A majority of the long sleeved shirts had detachable sleeves.

Eight players and manager in top row, from left: unidentified, H Moore (SF 86, Sac 86, Atl 86), unidentified, unidentified, unidentified, (B Purcell, mgr 86), unidentified, C Striker (Scr 86, Atl 86) and T Lynch (86). Front row: unidentified, M Cline (86), J Gunson (Roc 86, Atl 86), unidentified, and unidentified. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Image scan from Don Stokes.

Dated 1886. Detail view of photo A. Detail view shows white lettering and lace ties, and dark decorative stitching around the shirt placket. A shirt pocket can also be seen. Note the different lettering style worn by player in back.

Written documentation on these uniforms:
February 1886: “The Savannah uniform will be blue shirts, pants and caps, old gold stockings and belt; Augusta’s white shirts, pants and caps, red stockings and belts; Charleston’s, light gray shirts, pants and caps and blue stockings and belt; Macon’s will be dark gray shirts, pants and caps and red stockings and belts; Chattanooga’s light gray shirts, pants and caps and maroon stocking and belt; Atlanta’s, blue shirts and pants and white stockings and belts. Memphis has not selected her uniforms yet.” From the Savannah Morning News, February 24, 1886.

February 1886: “The Atlanta’s new uniform will be the same as the Chicagos—blue pants and shirts, name in white, A, across the breast, white stockings, blue and white cap.” From The Sporting Life, February 24, 1886. Research from Chuck McGill. Note, it is unclear from this report if the city name, or the letter “A”, was on the uniform front.

May 1886: “The Atlanta club is in a badly disorganized state. Most of the players get drunk nighty. A few days since Cline nocked down Manager Purcell with a chair.” From the Kansas City Star, May 22, 1886.

Team genealogy:
 Coming soon