1887 New York (New Yorks, Giants)
Left: This rendering is based on visual documentation for uniform style only. An educated guess is made on uniform color and on minor details that may be missing or difficult to determine.
Rendering accuracy:
Year: documented Team: documented
Center: This rendering is based on visual documentation for uniform style and color. Minor details may be undocumented or difficult to determine and an educated guess is made to complete the rendering.
Rendering accuracy:
Year: documented Team: documented
Right: This rendering is based on visual documentation for uniform style only. Color information is unknown and the uniform is rendered in values of gray. Minor details may also be undocumented or difficult to determine and an educated guess is made to complete the rendering.
Rendering accuracy:
Year: documented Team: documented
Visual documentation on these uniforms:
Photo A
Dated 1887. Old Judge baseball card of B Ewing (NL 83-89, 91, 92, PL 90) and W Breslin (team mascot). Full view at left, detail view at right. Detail view shows white cap and uniform, button placket with pointed tab, shirt pocket, and a dark-colored belt. Full view shows that both Ewing and Breslin were wearing dark-colored stockings, presumably maroon based on newspaper reports from this year. Years Ewing with team from baseball-reference.com. Image from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Photo B
Dated 1887. Old Judge baseball card of P Murphy (87-90). Full view at left, detail view at right. Photo from same session as Ewing photo as backgrounds appears to match. Detail view shows subtle banding on cap, colored pant seam and a light-colored belt. There is no documentation to date that describes a light-colored belt. Years Murphy with team from baseball-reference.com. Image from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Photo C
Dated 1887. Old Judge baseball card of W Brown (87-89). Full view at left, detail view at right. Photo date may be confirmed by similar photo background in Gillespie card, see photo D. Brown and Gillespie and only played together for New York in 1887. Photo of Brown shows a maroon and black striped shirt as described in newspaper accounts from this year. Detail view shows a button placket with pointed tab, and a shirt pocket. Years Brown with team from baseball-reference.com. Image from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Photo D
Dated 1887. Old Judge baseball card of P Gillespie (83-87). Photo date may be confirmed by similar photo background in Brown card, see photo C. Gillespie and Brown only played together for New York in 1887. Full view at left, detail view at right. Photo shows long sleeved version of striped shirt with horizontal bands at the cuffs. Years Gillespie with team from baseball-reference.com. Image from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Photo E
Dated 1887. Old Judge baseball card of J Roach (87). Full view at left, detail view at right. Photo date confirmed as this was the only year Roach played for team. Roach was released from New York on July 15, 1887. Detail view shows a thin line of colored trim on pant seam. Year with team from baseball-reference.com. Roach release date from from baseball-reference.com and retrosheet.org. Image from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Photo F & G
Dated circa 1887. Buchner Gold Coin baseball cards of R Connor (NL 83-89, 91, 93, 94, PL 90), left, and P Gillespie (83-87). Illustrations seem to match baseball card photos and written descriptions of this uniform. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Images from oldcardboard.com.
Photo H
Dated circa 1888. Goodwin Champions baseball card of T Keefe (AA 83, 84, NL 85-89. 91, PL 90). Full view at left, detail view at right. This illustration may be depicting the 1887 striped uniform and was most likely based on a photo used on an Old Judge baseball card dated 1887. Detail view shows four subtle bands on cap and accent trim along the cap bill. Years Keefe with team from baseball-reference.com. Image from oldcardboard.com.
Photo I
Dated 1887. Old Judge cabinet card of R Connor (NL 83-89, 91, 93, PL 90). Full view at left, detail view at right. Photo not from same session as Ewing and Murphy cards shown above, see photos A and B. Detail view shows that player wore a light-colored shirt, white pants and presumably maroon stockings. Colored trim was also visible on the brim of a white cap. The detail view shows a lace-tie placket with decorative stitching. Years Connor with team from baseball-reference.com. Image from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Note, research from Jay Miller, Joe Gonsowski and Richard Masson, The Photographic Baseball Cards of Goodwin & Company, 1886-1890 (2008), suggests this Connor photo session may have taken place in late 1886.
Photo J
Dated 1889, based on 1887 images. Page from Goodwin & Co. Round Album. Full view at left, detail view at right. Though album was dated 1889, drawings of players appear to have been made based on Old Judge cards from 1887. These depictions may be representing the 1887 uniform colors. Clockwise, from top left: J O’Rourke (NL 85-89, 91, 92, PL 90), G Gore (NL 87-89, 91, 92, PL 90), R Connor (NL 83-89, 91, 93, PL 90) and D Richardson (NL 84-89, 91, PL 90). Note that Connor rendering shows a light gray shirt with white pants.
Written documentation on these uniforms:
April 1887: “The uniform of the New York club this season will consist of a maroon and black striped shirt and cap, white knee-breeches and maroon stockings.” From the New York Clipper, April 9, 1887. Research from Brian McKenna. Note, no photographic documentation has been discovered to verify a maroon and black striped cap was part of this uniform.
April 1887: “The New Yorks will have quite a striking uniform this season. It will consist a maroon and black striped shirt and cap, white knee breeches and maroon stockings. With a uniform like this they may have some claim to be called the Maroons. Their practice uniforms will be snuff brown, with maroon trimmings.” From the Philadelphia Times, April 10, 1887. Research from Don Stokes.
April 28, 1887, New York v. Philadelphia, at New York, opening day: “The Phillies were given a rousing welcome as they marched out of the club house into the field, and fifteen minutes later, as the New Yorks in their very fine uniform of black and maroon half-inch striped shirts, red stockings and knickerbockers, appeared, headed by Captain Ward, the very roof was stirred by the mighty shout that greeted them.Æ From the Philadelphia Times, May 1, 1887. With this report the Times printed the byline of “New York, April 30.” This may have been in error as the opening day took place in New York on April 28, not April 29. The paper also may have made an error regarding the red pants.
April 28, 1887, New York v. Philadelphia, at New York, opening day: “The new [New York] uniforms were maroon and black striped shirts, maroon stockings and white breeches. Practice suits had snuff brown shirts, maroon trimmed, and caps.” From Preston D. Orem, Baseball 1882-1891 From The Newspaper Accounts (1966, 1967, reprinted by SABR in 2021), pg. 309.
June 1887: “The color of a least one uniform of each club in the [National] League and American Association is given below. It would be next to impossible to give the several different uniforms of each club, as they change the different pieces of one uniform to another, and may appear on the field in a different make-up every day for a week. However, one complete uniform of each club is as follows: […] New York — Caps and trousers white, maroon and black shirts and maroon stockings.” From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 14, 1887, citing the New York Sun. Research from Todd Radom.
Team genealogy:
New York 1883-1957
New York was formed to join the National League (NL) in 1883, with many of its players coming from a disbanded NL team in Troy, NY. The NL began operation in 1876 and this New York team played in the NL from 1883 to 1957. The team moved to San Francisco after the 1957 season. Information from wikipedia.
Rendering posted: April 7, 2016
Diggers on this uniform: Brian McKenna, Don Stokes, Todd Radom,