1889 Brooklyn (Brooklyns, Bridegrooms)
Left: 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: This rendering is based on visual documentation for uniform style and written documentation for color. Some important details may be undocumented or difficult to determine. An educated guess is made to complete the rendering.
Rendering accuracy: Year: documented Team: documented
Visual documentation on these uniforms:
Photo A
Dated late March to mid-May 1889. Photo year determined by appearance of player Visner, who only played for Brooklyn in 1889. Photo date range of late March to mid-May may be determined by a March 24, 1889 newspaper report stating the Brooklyn team “will be photographed by Gardner, a local base ball enthusiast” when the newly ordered uniforms were to arrive. This report also said the uniforms were to be medium gray in color. However, the players appear to have worn white uniforms in the team photo above by Gardner. The Brooklyn Citizen on March 27, 1889, stated that player Clark, who had been “holding out for more money” was likely to sign his contract on this day. As Clark was included in the photo, we can determine the photo was made after this date. Player Reynolds was not included in the above photo as he signed with the team on May 22. Based on a newspaper account from 1889, the white Brooklyn uniform had red trimmings. Thirteen players in this photo wore short sleeved shirts, ten of which also wore a white undershirt. Many of the short sleeves had button holes indicating detachable long sleeves were available. One of the short sleeved shirts was tailored with shorter than normal sleeves, extending only to mid-bicep, see player Smith, the Brooklyn shortstop, top row far left. Only one player, Caruthers, front row, second from left, wore a uniform with full long sleeves.
Top row, from left: G Smith (AA 85-89, NL 90, 97), P Corkhill (AA 88, 89, NL 90), A Terry (AA 84-89, NL 90, 91), D Foutz (AA 88, 89, NL 90-96), D O’Brien (AA 88, 89, NL 90-92), D Bushong (AA 88, 89, NL 90) and J Visner (89). Front row: G Pinkney (AA 85-89, NL 90, 91), B Caruthers (AA 88, 89, NL 90, 91), H Collins (AA 88, 89, NL 90-92), (B McGunnigle mgr AA 88, 89, NL 90), M Hughes on ground (AA 88, 89, NL 90), O Burns (AA 88, 89, NL 90-95), B Clark (AA 86-89, NL 90) and T Lovett (AA 88, 89, NL 90, 91, 93). Player IDs from photo. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Image scan from Mark Fimoff, 19th-century Pictorial Baseball Committee. Original photo by John G. Gardner, Gardner & Co., Fulton Street, Brooklyn.
Dated late March to mid-May 1889. Detail view of photo A. Detail view shows shirt lettering with the holes for the lace ties running through the letters “o” and “k”. Detail view also show the stitching on the shirt placket and the shirt pocket.
Dated 1889. Detail view of photo A. Detail view shows quilted padding on the hips and knees, and that the uniform had already been worn during a game before the photo was taken.
Photo B
Dated late May to October 1889. Studio portrait of C Reynolds (KC AA 89, Bro 89), full view at left, detail view at right. Photo date determined as Reynolds was purchased by Brooklyn on May 22, 1889. Player wore a uniform in this photo that matched that worn in the team photo by Gardner, see photo A. Photo of Reynolds also shows the cap worn with the white uniform. The cap was not shown in the team photo. Player ID, year with team, and transaction date from baseball-reference.com.
Photo C
Dated 1889, likely March 27, 1889. Old Judge cabinet card of J Visner (89). Full view at left, detail view at right. Photo year confirmed as this was the only year Visner played for team. The image may have been made by the photographer Gardener & Co., Brooklyn, as a newspaper report from March 27, 1889, implied that individual photos of player were made on this day. Player wore a light gray uniform with a check pattern. A newspaper report from 1889 suggests the trim color for this uniform was red. The cap color was likely gray in color. Year Visner with team from baseball-reference.com. Image from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Photo D
Dated 1889, likely March 27, 1889. Old Judge cabinet card of M Hughes (AA 88, 89, NL 90). Full view at left, detail view at right. Photo date may be confirmed as studio background matches that shown in the Visner image above. Detail view of Hughes card shows a version of the checked pants with quilted padding at the knees and hips. The pants in the Visner photo did not have padding. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Image from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Photo E
Dated April 18-21, 1889. Year of photo confirmed by appearance of player Visner, who only played for Brooklyn in 1889. Players in this photo may have worn the same light gray uniform as shown in the Visner and Hughes photos shown above, however this cannot be confirmed due to the quality of the photo. Three players in this team photo wore a white sweater, and one wore a light-toned jacket. Based on the scoreboard behind the players, it is likely this photo was taken in Philadelphia before a game vs. Athletic and suggests the checked uniform (if worn in this photo) was worn on the road. If the April date supplied on the caption is correct, this photo was most likely made between April 18 and April 21, 1889 as Brooklyn played at Athletic to open the season during these dates. The photo also has the mark of Levytype Co, Philadelphia, in the lower left corner, further confirming a Philadelphia setting.
Top row, from left: G Pinkney (AA 85-89, NL 90, 91), M Hughes (AA 88, 89, NL 90), O Burns (AA 88, 89, NL 90-95), D O’Brien (AA 88, 89, NL 90-92) and H Collins? (AA 88, 89, NL 90-92). Front: P Corkhill (AA 88, 89, NL 90), T Lovett (AA 88, 89, NL 90, 91, 93), B Clark (AA 86-89, NL 90), (B McGunnigle mgr AA 88, 89, NL 90), D Foutz (AA 88, 89, NL 90-96), J Visner (89) and G Smith (AA 85-89, NL 90, 97). Player IDs based on IDs from Gardner photo, see photo above. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. April game dates from retrosheet.org. Image scan from Ken Samoil. Original photo published in Athletic Sports in America, England and Australia (1889).
Dated April 18-21, 1889. Detail view of photo E. Detail view shows light-toned or light gray short-sleeved shirts with dark lace ties, belt and stockings. Photo also shows a mid-tone cap with white trim at the edge of the bill, similar to that shown in photos C and D.
Written documentation on these uniforms:
March 1889: “The men of the Brooklyn base-ball team were measured today for their pearl-gray red-bound uniforms, with caps to match and red stockings. The sweaters will be white.” From the Cincinnati Enquirer, March 23, 1889, page 2.
March 1889: “More than a dozen different kinds of cloths and designs […] were submitted [to President Byrne], and finally, when he had scratched his head and stamped his foot in perplexity […he] selected pearl gray and white, with red trimmings.” From the New York World, March 24, 1889. This report may suggest the team selected a home uniform of white and a road uniform of pearl gray, both trimmed with red.
March 1889: “The [Brooklyn] boys will have a medium gray uniform this year. Spalding measured them for the new suits last week. As soon as they are ready, they will be photographed by Gardner, a local base ball enthusiast.” From the New York Press, March 24, 1889. Note that the team photo from this year, see photo A, was taken by Gardner, a Brooklyn photographer.
March 1889: “This morning [March 27] Dave Foutz, Manager McGunnigle, Terry, Lovett, Pinkney, Hughes, Bushong, Burns and Jack McMasters went to the gallery of Gardner & Co., on Fulton street, and had their photographs taken — that is, all of them faced the camera save McMasters, who feared to have his physiognomy [i.e., personality based on facial features] reproduced. Of course, there was a great deal of merriment over the work, and the [photo] operator under the skylight found it no easy manner to induce the players to look pleasant, and at the same time not crack the plates with their broad grins. The young man with the mild voice and blonde mustache first went to work on Dave Foutz, who, after he had his neck twisted into an alleged natural position and had been admonished to assume a natural, everyday expression, looked faint and his face wore a look only to be seen on the face of a newly exhumed mummy whose death had resulted from an acute attack of colic. […] With two squeezes of the rubber bulb Foutz was taken. The other boys followed in mournful procession.” From the Brooklyn Citizen, March 27, 1889, page 2. The Citizen also published on this same day the following report about the mascot.
March 1889: “Yesterday afternoon [March 26] the officers attached to the Tenth precinct police station, the majority of whom are baseball-mad, presented a monkey to Jack McMasters with the intention that it was to be the mascot of the Grooms during the season [1889]. McMasters wanted to call it Jocko, but the other players objected on the ground that it looked too much like O’Brien not to be christened Darby. Up to the present time the monkey has made but few friends, and he evinces an inclination to bite every member of the team, and is particularly hostile towards Visner, at whom he flies on the slightest provocation. When the animal first put in an appearance he flew at the players and chased them off of the stoop; then he grinned at Jack McMasters, [ate] a piece of cake, and sat in the corner.” From the Brooklyn Citizen, March 27, 1889, page 2. The Citizen also published on this same day the above report about the photo session.
March 1889: “The [Brooklyn] boys have a brand new and original mascot this season [1889]. He is a monkey, with a long tail and sad brown eyes, presented on Tuesday evening [March 26] by the police of the Tenth Precinct. His name is not, as yet, been decided upon. […] When seen yesterday the monkey was engaged breaking a pane in one of the clubhouse windows, so as to get out and watching the practicing.” From the Brooklyn Daily Times, March 28, 1889, page 4.
April 1889: “The New York Base Ball Club has a fighting chicken for a mascot, and the Brooklyn club has a monkey. The clubs play each other next Saturday [April 6], and it is more likely that one or the other of the mascots will then be condemned as a ‘hoodoo.’” From the Philadelphia Inquirer, April 1, 1889, page 4.
April 18, 1889, Brooklyn v. Athletic, Philadelphia, at Philadelphia, home opener: “The ‘Bridegrooms’ had on their old gray suits and faded red caps, which were so familiar last season [1888].” From the Philadelphia Inquirer, April 19th, 1889, page 6.
April 25, 1889, Brooklyn v. Columbus, at Brooklyn, Washington park, home opener: “While the visitors were engaged at practice, the Grooms, feeling somewhat gloomy and expressing their feelings in their faces, were putting on their new uniforms, which consist of gray caps, shirts and knickerbockers with crimson trimmings and stockings of the latest color.” From the Brooklyn Citizen, April 26, 1889, page 3.
April 25, 1889, Brooklyn v. Columbus, at Brooklyn, Washington park, home opener: “The Brooklyn team donned new uniforms yesterday [April 25], and the dress is the neatest and most serviceable the team has worn.” From the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, April 26, 1889, page 2. The Eagle also mentioned that “the mascot folly is a disgrace to the game. All these notions of good luck, mascots, etc., are the result of ignorance and superstition, unworthy of American ball players.”
April 25, 1889, Brooklyn v. Columbus, at Brooklyn, Washington park, home opener: “The Bridegrooms made their bow before the Brooklynites today in handsome suits of military gray, relieved by red stockings and belts, with the name and red.” From the New York Evening World, April 25, 1889, page 1.
April 1889: “The Grooms have a new uniform of bluish gray trimmed with red.” From the New York Evening Telegram, April 26, 1889.
May 1889, ballpark fire: “The suits and other belongings of the Brooklyn Club were stored in the stone dressing room on the Third street side [of the ballpark], which was not reached by the flames.” From the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, May 20, 1889, page 6. This was part of report on a fire at Washington park on early Sunday morning May 19, 1889, leaving the “large grand stand” and the dressing rooms underneath a “charred and blackened ruin.” The “stone dressing room” the team used was a stand-alone building known as “The Old Stone House,” also as the Vechte-Cortelyou House, and the Gowanus House. The structure was built circa 1699 as a farm house. During the Revolutionary War the house became a key location during the Battle of Long Island in August 1776. Historian John Thorn has written that the Brooklyn ballpark, Washington Park, “was erected around the house,” and that “the ball club’s proprietors gave the venerable landmark a new roof and made it into a ladies’ powder room.” The house fell into ruin and was demolished in the late 1890s after another fire. In 1934 a replica stone house was reconstructed on the site. Info from wikipedia.com and John Thorn, Our Game, June 17, 2019, retrieved October 31, 2025.
June 13, 1889: “[Brooklyn] wore gray uniforms against Cincinnati because their regular uniforms are too similar to the Reds’ uniforms.” From the Brooklyn Daily Times, June 14, 1889. Research from Clifford Blau. Cincinnati played at Brooklyn on June 13 and 14, 1889. Game dates from retrosheet.org.
June 1889: “We acknowledge the receipt of a handsome photograph of the Brooklyn team. It is one of Gardner & Co.’s best, and is in an excellent gilt frame. […] We tender thanks for the same to the photographers Gardner & Co., 276 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, and to President Byrne and Secretary Ebbets of the Brooklyn Club.” From the New York Clipper, June 29, 1889.
August 30, 1889, Brooklyn v. Kansas City at Brooklyn, Washington Park: “[Brooklyn was] warmly welcomed when they marched into the enclosure at Washington Park yesterday afternoon, attired in new white uniforms.” From the New York Herald, August 31, 1889. Game date from retrosheet.org.
October 18, 1889, Brooklyn v. New York (NL), at New York, Polo Grounds, World’s Championship Series, Game 1: “At 2:45 the Giants came upon the field. They wore their old familiar suits of black and white, in slight but sufficient contrast to the Bridegroom’s white and red checked suits.” From the New York Evening World, October 18, 1889, page 1.
October 19, 1889, Brooklyn v. New York (NL), at Brooklyn, Washington Park, World’s Championship Series, Game 2: “The Brooklyns […] wore white suits and red trimmings.” From the Pittsburgh Dispatch, October 20, 1889. Research from Don Stokes. Game date from wikipedia.com.
October 1889, Brooklyn v. New York (NL), World’s Championship Series: “New York was attired in white uniforms with black trimmings and black caps. The Brooklyn outfits were white suits also but trimmed in red.” From Preston D. Orem, Baseball 1882-1891 From The Newspaper Accounts (1966, 1967, reprinted by SABR in 2021), pg. 420. The series was played October 18, 1889 to October 29, 1889, per wikipedia.com.
1889 Brooklyn uniform summary
Uniform: white, red stockings
First worn:
Photographed: team photo from before mid-May, player portrait from year
Described: March, June, August, October
Material:
Manufacturer: Spalding & Bro.
Supposition:
Variations: wore new white uniforms in late August
Other items: white turtle-neck sweater, light gray buttoned coat
Home opener report: yes, April 25 v. Columbus (wore gray uniform)
Uniform: gray checked, gray cap, red stockings
First worn: April 25, Brooklyn
Photographed: player portraits from late March, team photo from mid-April
Described: March, April, June
Material:
Manufacturer: Spalding & Bro.
Supposition:
Variations: also wore red caps, may have had lettering on shirt
Team genealogy:
Brooklyn 1883-1957
Brooklyn was formed as a minor league team in 1883 and joined the American Association (AA) in 1884. The AA was a major league operating 1882-1891 and Brooklyn played in the AA between 1884 and 1889. Brooklyn moved to the National League (NL) for the 1890 season. The NL began operation in 1876. Brooklyn played in the NL between 1890 and 1957, when the team moved to Los Angeles. Information from wikipedia.
Rendering posted: September 15, 2016
Diggers on this uniform: Cliff Blau, Ken Samoil, Mark Fimoff,