1887 Washington DC (Washingtons, Nationals, Grays, Senators, Statesmen)
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
Left Center: 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 Center: This rendering is based on a visual depiction 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 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 J Donnelly (87-89). Full view at left, detail view at right. Photo date confirmed in combination with photo B as both Donnelly and Carroll, photographed against the same background, only played together for Washington in 1887. Photo shows a collared shirt with short sleeves and a dark undershirt. Based on newspaper reports of other uniforms also worn during this photo session, it can be suggested the pant color of Donnelly’s uniform was blue. Years Donnelly with team from baseball-reference.com. Image from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Photo B
Dated 1887. Old Judge baseball card of C Carroll (86, 87). Full view at left, detail view at right. Photo date confirmed in combination with photo A as both Donnelly and Carroll, photographed against the same background, only played together for Washington in 1887. Years Carroll with team from baseball-reference.com. Image from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Photo C
Dated 1887. Old Judge baseball card of B Gilligan (86, 87). Full view at left, detail view at right. Photo shows button placket and shirt pocket. Years Gilligan 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 Hines (86, 87). Full view at left, detail view at right. Photo date confirmed in combination with photo E as both Hines and Myers only played together for Washington in 1887. A newspaper report from 1887 described a team uniform as blue in color for shirts and pants, with drab stockings and a blue cap with white bands. This may be the uniform worn by Hines, though Hines wore a white cap in this photo. See photo F for documentation on the blue cap. Photo of Hines shows a pullover top with a turtle-neck collar. Years Hines with team from baseball-reference.com. Image from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Photo E
Dated 1887. Old Judge baseball card of A Myers (87-89). Full view at left, detail view at right. Photo date confirmed in combination with photo D as both Hines and Myers only played together for Washington in 1887. Photo shows a good view of the “W” on the shirt chest. Years Myers with team from baseball-reference.com. Image from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Photo F
Dated 1887. Gypsy Queen baseball card of S Crane (87). Full view at left, detail view at right. Photo date confirmed as 1887 as this was the only year Crane played for Washington. Player wore a dark cap with white bands in this photo. The cap was described as blue with white bands in a newspaper account from 1887, and worn as part of the all-blue uniform. Note photo background matches the background in photos A thru C suggesting the uniforms worn at this time had blue as an accent color. Year Crane with team from baseball-reference.com. Image from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Photo G
Dated 1887. Photo date confirmed by appearance of player Hines in combination with players Whitney, Daily, Donnelly and O’Brien. Top row, from left: unidentified, unidentified, C Mack (86-89), J Whitney (87, 88), G Shoch? (86-89), E Daily (NL 87, 88, AA 91) and J Donnelly (87-89). Middle row: P Hines (NL 86, 87, AA 91), H O’Day (86-89), (J Gaffney, mgr 86, 87), C Carroll? (86, 87) and unidentified. Front row: unidentified, unidentified and B O’Brien (87-89). Player IDs from Mark Fimoff, SABR 19th Century Pictorial Committee as published in the SABR Reflecting The Past Newsletter, July 2013. Image from collection of Donald Brutnell and Rob Keating. Scan from Nigel Ayres. Years players with team from baseball-reference.com.
Detail of photo G. Detail view shows Old English “W” on shirt pocket and dark colored belt and stockings.
Photo H & I
Dated circa 1887. Buchner Gold Coin baseball cards of S Crane (87), left, and P Hines (86, 87). Date of production may be confirmed by card of Crane as 1887 was the only year Crane played for Washington. Illustrations show a white or light gray uniform with blue stockings and belt. There is no photographic or written documentation to confirm this uniform was worn by the team in 1887. It is also possible these renderings may be depicting an 1886 uniform. Years with teams from baseball-reference.com. Images from oldcardboard.com.
Photos J & K
Dated circa 1887. Buchner Gold Coin baseball cards of E Daily (87, 88, name spelled incorrectly on card), left, and J Farrell (86, 87). Date of production may be confirmed as 1887 as this was the only year both Daily and Farrell played together for Washington. Illustrations show a gray uniform with gray stockings and belt. Years with teams from baseball-reference.com. Images from oldcardboard.com.
Written documentation on these uniforms:
April 1887: “The Nationals will go over to Baltimore on Wednesday [April 13] to cross bats with the American Association team of that city.” From the Washington (DC) Evening Star, April 9, 1887. Report included use of Nationals nickname, also called the team the “reorganized Nationals.”
April 1887: “Big [Billy] O’Brien, who had just come out of the West […] watched the movements of his new mates. […] Having just arrived, he did not don a practice uniform, so it is only guess-work as to how he handles himself on the field.” From the Washington (DC) Evening Star, April 26, 1887. Mention of a practice uniform. It is likely the team did not manufacture new practice uniforms and instead this mention was a reference to players wearing older uniforms when practicing.
April 1887: “Manager Gaffney has put the Washington Grays into a new uniform, and they are Grays no longer. The new unit comprises blue shirts and trousers with drab stockings and jerseys. The cap is a very pretty affair, made of blue flannel, with two narrow parallel stripes of white running around the band.” From The Sporting Life, April 27, 1887. Research from Chuck McGill.
April 1887: “Much confidence prevails among local enthusiasts as to the ability of the Statesmen to win their first contest, and if the they are defeated this afternoon [April 28, 1887] the Beaneaters will have to play all the ball that they are capable of.” From the Washington (DC) National Republican, April 28, 1887. Use of the Statesmen nickname. The April 28th game was rained out.
June 10, 1887, Washington v. New York, at New York: “In their half of the inning the Grays secured two runs on a single by Kreig, Hines’ base on balls, Daly’s force, a steal and O’Brien’s drive to left field.” From the Washington (DC) Evening Star, June 11, 1887. Included use of the Grays nickname.
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: […] Washington — Complete uniform of a dark gray flannel.” From the St Louis Post-Dispatch, June 14, 1887, citing the New York Sun. Research from Todd Radom.
July 1887: “It is to be regretted that [manager] Gaffney could not have gotten the ‘Senators’ into trim earlier in the season.” From the Washington (DC) Evening Star, July 23, 1887. Use of the Senators nickname.
August 1887: “The Washington Club is to be uniformed in white jerseys.” From the Philadelphia Record, August 20, 1887. Research from Ed Morton.
August 22, 1887, Washington v. Detroit, at Washington DC, National Park: “The Senators look[ed] neat and trim in their new uniforms, similar to those worn by the Chicagos.” From the Detroit Free Press, August 23, 1887.
Team genealogy:
Washington 1886-1889
Washington joined the National League (NL) in 1886. The NL began operation in 1876 and Washington played in the NL between 1886 and 1889. The team disbanded after the 1889 season. Information from wikipedia.com.
Rendering posted: October 30, 2016
Diggers on this uniform: Chuck McGill, Ed Morton, Mark Fimoff, Nigel Ayres, Todd Radom,