1889 Philadelphia (Philadelphias, Phillies)
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 April 29, 1889, Philadelphia v. Boston at Philadelphia, home opener. Photo shows the similarity between the uniforms of the two teams. It appears the team at bat in this photo was wearing a white uniform and the fielding team was wearing a light gray uniform. This may suggest Philadelphia was the hitting team. The traditional stocking color for both teams was red. (To date, there is no evidence confirming the red stocking color for the 1889 Philadelphia white uniform). Original photo published in Athletic Sports in America, England and Australia (1889). Game date from retrosheet.org. Original photo by Levitype Co., Philadelphia.
Dated April 29, 1889, Philadelphia v. Boston at Philadelphia, home opener. Detail view of photo A. Photo shows similarity of uniforms between home and road teams.
Photo B
Dated April 1889 to May 1889. Old Judge baseball card of P Wood (89). Full view at left, detail view at right. Photo year can be confirmed as this was the player’s only year with team. Photo date of April 1889 to May 1889 can be suggested by similarity to photo B. Player wore a white, tight-fitting uniform and a white cap in this photo, with a dark belt and dark stockings. Based on other years, the Philadelphia stocking color was most likely red, though unconfirmed for 1889. Detail view shows lettering across shirt. Note that the lettering was thinner when compared to the previous year of 1888. Detail view also shows suggestion of a pin stripe pattern on the collar and around sleeves. Year Wood with team from baseball-reference.com. Image scan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Photo C
Dated April 1889 to May 1889. Old Judge baseball card of A Irwin (86-89). Full view at left, detail view at right. Photo year can be confirmed by similarity in background to photo B. Photo date can further be determined as April 1889 to May 1889 as Irwin was purchased from Philadelphia by Washington on June 8, 1889. Detail view shows unadorned side of uniform (as well as the grand physique of Mr. Irwin). Years Irwin with team and Washington sale info from baseball-reference.com. Image scan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Photo D
Dated April 1889 to May 1889. Old Judge baseball card of H Decker (89, 90). Full view at left, detail view at right. Photo date can be suggested by similarity in background to photos B and C. Detail view shows subtle horizontal bands on cap. Years Decker with team from baseball-reference.com. Image scan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Photo E
Dated May 1889. Photo year confirmed by appearance of player Wood, his only year with the team. Photo date in caption of May 1889 can be confirmed by appearance of player Irwin who was purchased by the Washington team of the National League on June 8, 1889. Photo taken at the Philadelphia home grounds. Team wore a tight-fitting uniform with white caps and dark-colored belt and stockings. This uniform matched that shown in photos B thru D, and confirmed this was the home uniform.
Top row, from left: B Hallman (NL 88, 89, 92-97, 01-03, PL 90, Ath AA 91), P Schriver (88-90), J Clements (NL 84-97, UA 84) and K Gleason (88-91). Middle row: P Wood (89), H Decker (89, 90), E Delahanty (88, 89, 91-01), S Farrar (NL 83-89, PL 90), J Fogarty (NL 84-89, PL 90) and A Irwin (86-89). Front row: J Mulvey (NL 83-92, PL 90, Ath AA 91), C Buffinton (NL 87-89, PL 90), S Thompson (89-98), G Wood (NL 86-89, PL 90, Ath AA 91) and B Sanders (NL 88, 89, PL 90, Ath AA 91). Player IDs from Mark Fimoff, SABR 19th-century Pictorial Committee. Years with team and Irwin sale info from baseball-reference.com. Original photo published in Athletic Sports in America, England and Australia (1889). Original photo by Levitype Co., Philadelphia.
Dated May 1889. Detail view of photo E. Detail view shows white lace ties ending above the lettering and subtle pin stripes on the collar and around the sleeve at the cuff. Detail image scan from Mark Fimoff, SABR 19th-century Pictorial Committee.
Photo F
Dated 1889. Old Judge baseball card of E Delahanty (88, 89, 91-01). Full view at left, detail view at right. Photo year can be confirmed by similarity in background to photos B thru D. Player wore a dark-colored uniform in this photo with a striped cap. The lettering, belt and stockings were also dark in color. A newspaper report from 1889 described this uniform as blue in color with maroon trimmings. The cap had vertical stripes. Detail view shows that this uniform had many of the same elements as the white uniform shown in photos B thru E, excluding the cap, and that it was most likely the road uniform. Note the baggy pant bottoms on an otherwise tight-fitting cloth uniform. Years Delahanty with team from baseball-reference.com. Image scan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Photo G
Dated July 8, 1889. This illustration was published in a newspaper on this date and depicted many injured Phillies returning home from a long road trip. One player, at right, was depicted wearing a shirt or sweater with the word “Phila” across the chest. Philadelphia played 22 straight road games between June 10, 1889, and July 6, 1889. Image from the Philadelphia Inquirer, July 8, 1889. Info on road games from retrosheet.org.
Written documentation on these uniforms:
April 29, 1889, Philadelphia v. Boston, at Philadelphia, home opener: “The Philadelphia team was photographed before the game yesterday. The men wore their new white suits.” From the Philadelphia Record, April 30, 1889. Research from Ed Morton.
June 28, 1889, Philadelphia v. Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh: “[The Philadelphia uniform of] navy blue with maroon trimmings and parti-colored caps, [manager] Harry Wright’s boys’ favorite colors, gave them quite a jaunty appearance, a striking contrast with the sober colors of the home team [Pittsburgh].” From the Philadelphia Times, June 29, 1889. Research from Don Stokes. Photographic evidence from this year may suggest the blue uniform was a lighter shade of blue, and not navy blue as described here.
July 8, 1889, Philadelphia v. Washington, at Philadelphia: “[Philadelphia player Joe] Mulvey looked like as if he had rolled in a strawberry patch with his suit on. The red dye had run and his suit was a beautiful shade of pink.” From the Philadelphia Times, July 9, 1889, page 2. Research from Stephen V. Rice. Game date and opponent from retrosheet.org.
Team genealogy:
Philadelphia 1882-
Philadelphia was formed to play in the League Alliance (LA) in 1882. The team joined the National League (NL) in 1883. The NL began operation in 1876 and Philadelphia has played in the league every year since 1883. Information from wikipedia.com and Robert D. Warrington.
Rendering posted: March 11, 2020
Diggers on this uniform: Don Stokes, Ed Morton, Stephen V. Rice,