1886 Utica NY (Uticas)

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 determined by appearance of players Shindle, M Griffin, Halpin, Pendergrass, Latham, Serad, Toy and Mattimore, all of whom only played for Utica in 1886. Caption on photo referenced the team’s championship and therefore an issue date of late September 1886 or after can be determined for this print. Players wore two shirt styles in this photo, one with lace ties and another with buttons. Newspaper reports from 1886 said that Utica wore a white uniform with red stockings and belts.

Top row, from left: B Shindle (86), M Griffin (86), J Halpin (Utc IL 86, Brktn NEL 86), S Griffin (85-87) and Carroll (86, 87). Middle: M Hengel (85-87), J Pendergrass (86), J Latham (Utc IL 86, JC EL 86)B, (D Dishler, mgr 85-87), B Serad (86), J Toy (Oswg IL 86, Utc IL 86) and M Mattimore (Oswg IL 86, Utc IL 86). Front: D McKeough (85, 86) and C Hofford (86, 87). Player IDs from photo. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Photo scan from Mark Fimoff, SABR 19th-century Pictorial Committee.

Dated 1886. Detail view of photo A. Detail view shows pleated button placket on players in front.

Written documentation on these uniforms:
March 1886: “The Uticas’ uniforms of 1886 have been ordered from Spalding Bros., of Chicago. They will consist of white flannel with maroon caps, belts, stockings and trimmings. The New Yorks wore the same style last year.” From The Sporting Life, March 3, 1886. Research from Ed Morton. Note that the team photo from this year showed a white cap, not a maroon cap.

March 1886: “St. Louis is pleased that Utica and Toronto have adopted the same uniforms as the Maroons, because it shows that at least two other cities don’t think maroon a ‘Jonah’ color.” From the Syracuse Standard, March 17, 1886.

March 1886: “The Utica team have ordered of Spalding a white uniform with maroon trimmings.” From The Sporting Life, March 31, 1886. Research from Chuck McGill.

April 1886: “The uniforms of the Utica nine will be white broadcloth shirts and trousers, with brown trimmings and stockings.” From the Buffalo Commercial Advertiser, April 1, 1886. Possibly the maroon accent color was mistakenly identified as brown by this newspaper.

April 1886: “The uniforms of the Uticas arrived Tuesday [March 30, 1886] and were put on exhibition in the show windows of Payne & Nye. The uniforms are of the maroon style. They have been admired by hundreds during the week. […] A prominent Utican has volunteered to give $10 towards purchasing an extra suit for the Uticas to wear on the Eastern trip, and thereby save the new uniforms for the championship season.” From The Sporting Life, April 7, 1886.

April 1886: “A second or change uniform for the Utica team has been ordered. It will consist of black and white check flannel, and be nearly as expensive as the regular suit.” From the Buffalo Commercial Advertiser, April 8, 1886.

September 1886: “The Pent-Ups have new, white uniforms.” From the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, September 24, 1886.

Team genealogy:
 Coming soon