1888 Des Moines IA

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 this uniform:

Photo A

Dated April 1888 to late July 1888. Collage of player portraits. Year of collage confirmed by appearance of players Shafer, Smith, Cushman, Schildknecht and Wells, all of whom only played for this team in 1888. Date range of April 1888 to late July 1888 suggested by appearance of player Schildknecht, who was released from the team in late July 1888. Portraits were different than those shown in photo B, C & D. Players wore a dark shirt in these portraits with a white cap, white lettering and white shirt aces. Based on a newspaper account from 1888, the uniform was dark blue in color, with white caps and white accents.

Top row, from left: B Van Dyke (87, 88), B Traffley (88-90), J Quinn (DM 88, Bos NL 88), G Shafer (88) and B Holliday (87, 88). Middle row: D Stearns (87, 88), L Schildknecht (DM WA 88,SxC WA 88), (C Morton, mgr 87, 88), H Sage (87, 88) and B Alvord (87, 88). Bottom row: F Smith (88), T Kennedy (DM 88, 89, Omaha WA 88), J Macullar (87, 88), E Cushman (88) and F Wells (DM WA 88, SxC WA 88). Player IDs from Carson Lorey. Additional input from Nigel Ayres. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Image scan from REA Auctions. Original photos by Thomas James, Des Moines IA.

Dated April 1888 to late July 1888. Detail view of photo A. Detail view showed bold initials across the chest and varying ways to lace a shirt.

Photo B

Dated April 1888 to late July 1888. Collage of player portraits. Year of collage confirmed by appearance of players Shafer, Smith, Cushman, Schildknecht and Wells, all of whom only played for this team in 1888.Date range of April 1888 to late July 1888 suggested by appearance of player Schildknecht, who was released from the team in late July 1888. Portraits matched those shown in photos C & D. Portraits show that players wore a light-colored cap and a dark uniform, with white neckties and white shirt laces. Based on a newspaper account from 1888, the uniform was dark blue in color.

Top row, from left: H Sage (87, 88), B Van Dyke (87, 88), B Holliday (87, 88), F Wells (DM WA 88, SxC WA 88) and B Alvord (87, 88). Middle: J Macullar (87, 88), J Quinn (DM 88, Bos NL 88), (C Morton, mgr 87, 88), T Kennedy (DM 88, 89, Omaha WA 88) and B Traffley (88-90). Bottom row: L Schildknecht (DM WA 88, SxC WA 88), G Shafer (88), D Stearns (87, 88), F Smith (88) and E Cushman (88). Player IDs from collage. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Image scan from Mark Fimoff, SABR 19th-century Pictorial Committee.

Dated April 1888 to late July 1888. Detail view of photo B. Detail view showed bold initials across the chest and varying ways to lace a shirt.

Photo C

Dated April 1888 to late July 1888. Collage of player portraits. Full view of collage at left, detail view at right. Year of collage confirmed by appearance of players Shafer, Smith, Cushman, Schildknecht and Wells, all of whom only played for this team in 1888. Date range of April 1888 to late July 1888 suggested by appearance of player Schildknecht, who was released from the team in late July 1888. Portraits matched those shown in photos B & D. Portraits show that players wore a light-colored cap and a dark uniform, with white neckties and white shirt laces. Based on a newspaper account from 1888, the uniform was dark blue in color. Detail view showed decorative white stitching on collar.

Photo D

Dated October 1888, majority of portraits were made in early 1888. Photo year of collage confirmed by appearance of players Cushman, Smith, Shafer, Trott and Quinn, all of whom only played for this team in 1888. Issue date of October 1888 determined by fact that this collage commemorated the team’s league championship won on October 9, 1888. Collage included portraits of three players who joined the team in late 1888, Hutchinson, Trott and Phelan. Hutchinson was signed by the team in July 1888 when he “decided to play.” Both Phelan and Trott signed with the team in early September 1888. Phelan was signed “to take Quinn’s place at second.” Joe Quinn was sold by Des Moines to Boston on August 28, 1888, however Quinn’s portrait was included in this collage produced in October 1888. The three new players replaced Kennedy, Schildknecht and Wells, all of whom had been released or sold by Des Moines by this time and who’s portraits appeared in collages from earlier in the year, see photos A, B & C. Portraits show that players wore a light-colored cap and a dark uniform, with white neckties and white shirt laces. Based on a newspaper account from 1888, the uniform was dark blue in color.

Clockwise from top: E Cushman (88), B Alvord (87, 88), B Van Dyke (87, 88), B Holliday (87, 88), D Stearns (87, 88), B Traffley (88-90), F Smith (88), G Shafer (88), S Trott (DM 88, Bal AA 88), J Quinn (DM 88, Bos NL 88), H Sage (87, 88) and D Phelan (DM 88-90, Mem SL 88). Center: J Macullar (87, 88), (C Morton, mgr 87, 88) and B Hutchinson (87, 88). Player IDs from collage. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Date team won championship from The Sporting Life, October 17, 1888. Hutchinson signing from The Sporting Life, July 11, 1888. Phelan and Trott signing info from The Sporting Life, September 12, 1888. Quinn purchase date from retrosheet.org. Photo scan from Mark Fimoff, SABR 19th-century Pictorial Committee.

Dated October 1888. Detail view of photo A. Detail view shows four subtle horizontal bands on pill-box cap.

Photo E

Dated 1888. Old Judge baseball card of G Shafer (88). Full view at left, detail view at right. Photo date can be confirmed as this was the only year Shafer played for the team. Full view shows a dark-colored uniform with light-colored cap, lettering, lace ties, belt and stockings. Detail view shows light color stitching on collar, shirt placket and shirt pocket. Detail view also shows quilted padding at hips. Year Shafer with team from baseball-reference.com. Image from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Photo F

Dated 1888. Old Judge baseball card of T Kennedy (DM 88, 89, Omaha WA 88). Full view at left, detail view at right. Card shows side view of uniform. Note that Kennedy did not wear a mustache in this Old Judge photo but did have a mustache in the team collages shown above. Years Kennedy with team from baseball-reference.com. Image from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Photo G

Dated 1888. Old Judge baseball card of B Traffley (88-90). Full view at left, detail view at right. Detail view shows quilted padding at hips and knees. Note, player wore fielding gloves on both hands, see full view. Years Traffley with team from baseball-reference.com. Image from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Written documentation on this uniform:
January 1888: “The spring uniform of the Des Moines team will be dark blue pants and shirt, with white caps, belts and hose.” From the St. Paul Globe, January 18, 1888. Research from Don Stokes.

February 1888: “The Des Moines club will have a neat uniform of Chicago blue pant and shirts, with white caps, belts and hose.” From the Chicago Inter-Ocean, February 5, 1888. Research from Don Stokes.

March 1888: “All the Des Moines uniforms are padded but those of the pitchers’, so the boys will have no fear of ‘sliding.’” From The Sporting Life, March 21, 1888. Research from Chuck McGill.

June 1888: “Manager Morton is getting a new uniform for the Maroons. It will be blue trimmed with brown. White stockings will be worn.” From the Chicago Daily Tribune, June 17, 1888. Research from Chuck McGill. Note, the mention of ‘Maroons” in this report is likely an error as Charlie Morton was the manager for Des Moines in 1888, not the Chicago Maroons. Morton info from baseball-reference.com.

Team genealogy:
 Coming soon