1886 Rochester (Rochesters)
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 September 1886. Date of 1886 confirmed by appearance of players Knight, Gardner, Harter, Warner and Hackett. Photo shows nine players wearing uniforms with buttons and four wearing uniforms with lace ties. Photo also shows a variety of sleeve styles among the thirteen players. Seven of the players were wearing short sleeves with no undershirt, two were wearing short sleeves with a colored undershirt, two were wearing short sleeves with a white undershirt, and two wore long sleeves. Two of the players with buttoned shirts were wearing the top button open at the collar.
Player IDs. Top row, from left: J Visner (85-87, 91), C Whitney (85, 86), B Barr (86-90), N Baker (86, 87) and L Knight (86). Middle row: G Gardner (86), C Parsons (86, 87), G Harter (86), D Kennedy (77, 78, 85-88) and E McKean (86, 02). Front row: E Warner (86), J Gunson (86, 98), J Bakley (86, 87) and W Hackett (86). Player IDs from photo print. Print scan from Mark Fimoff, SABR 19th-century Pictorial Committee. Years with team from baseball-reference.com.
Dated September 1886. Detail view of photo A. Detail view shows uniforms with short sleeves, a button placket down the front, and a cap with subtle horizontal bands. The buttoned shirt had detachable sleeves, as seemingly worn by the player on the left, while a white undershirt was worn by the player in center. Player at right wore his shirt unbuttoned at the top and his collar up.
Written documentation on these uniforms:
February 1886: “The [Rochester] uniform will be gray with maroon trimmings.” From The Sporting Life, February 17, 1886, with New Bedford, MA, February 11 dateline. Research from Chuck McGill. Note, this report contradicts the March report below for color of stockings.
March 1886: “The Rochesters’ uniform this season will be similar to the one they wore a year ago—gray shirts and trousers with blue stockings.” From the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, March 15, 1886. Research from Don Stokes.
March 1886: “A. G. Spalding & Co. are making the [Rochester] uniforms, individual bat bags and uniform bags, as each man will carry his uniforms and bats, thereby saving express charges and discomforts.” From the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, March 24, 1886.
April 1886: “Buffalo, Rochester and Toronto have adopted the American Association rule requiring visiting cubs to present a tenth man in uniform.” From The Sporting Life, April 7, 1886, and the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, April 17, 1886.
April 1886: “Now the ball players have their photographs taken.” From the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, April 18, 1886. It is unclear if this published blurb was a reference to the Rochester players being photographed, or a general observation about baseball players being more willing in 1886 to have their photo taken. At times, players thought that it as unlucky to have their photo taken.
May 8, 1886, Rochester v. Toronto, at Rochester, Culver Park, opening day: “Neat and tasty score-cards were gotten out.” From the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, May 9, 1886.
July 1886: “The Rochester team has been presented with a medicine chest by a local medical admirer. The chest contains all the necessary appliances for treating wounds received on the diamond, and is inscribed as follows: ‘Rochester Base-Ball Club Dispensary. ‘Doc’ Kennedy, Hospital Steward.’” From the Sterling (IN) Standard, July 1, 1886.
Team genealogy: Coming soon
Rendering posted: January 24, 2016
Diggers on this uniform: Chuck McGill, Don Stokes, Mark Fimoff,