1890 Cleveland (Clevelands, Spiders)
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 1890. Photo year confirmed by appearance of players Stockwell, Veach, Dailey, Lincoln, Wadsworth, Smalley, Parsons, Sommer, Cody and Dowse, and by manager Schmelz. These men were only with Cleveland during the 1890 season. April date determined by appearance of player Sommer, who was released by Cleveland on May 1, 1890. Players wore a dark uniform in this team photo. The shirt had a small area of lace ties above the lettering and large, elongated collars with thin pinstripes. The sleeves had pinstriped bands at the wrist that matched the collars. This uniform was described in an 1890 newspaper as made of tight-fitting dark blue cloth and with the city name in white lettering. Note that one player in this photo, middle row second from left, wore a shirt with a regularly-shaped collar without pinstripes and also without light bands at the cuffs.
Top row, from left: L Stockwell (Cle NL 79, 90, Linc WA 90, Stk CL 90, Oak CL 90), B Gilks (AA 87, 88, NL 89, 90), P Veach (Cle NL 90, Pit NL 90), V Dailey (90), E Lincoln (Cle NL 90, Syr AA 90), J Wadsworth (90), W Smalley (90) and C Parsons (90). Middle: J Ardner (84, 90), E McKean (AA 87, 88, NL 89-98), J Sommer (Cle NL 90, Bal AA 90), (G Schmelz, mgr Cle NL 90, Col AA 90), C Zimmer (AA 87, 88, NL 89-99) and E Beatin (89-91). Front, on ground: G Davis (90-92), M Cody (dnp, Yngstwn TSL 90) and T Dowse (90). Image scan and player IDs from Mark Fimoff, SABR 19th-century Pictorial Committee. Notes on IDs from Fimoff are as follows: Vince Dailey is often identified as Buck West and Joe Sommer is often identified as Bill Garfield. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Sommer release date from the New York Evening Telegram, May 5, 1890. Note that Cy Young did not appear in this team picture. Young’s major league and Cleveland debut was on August 6, 1890. Young debut info from baseball-reference.com.
Dated April 1890. Detail view of photo A. Detail view shows elongated shirt collars with thin pinstripes (more noticeable on player at left), and lettering for the city name.
Dated April 1890. Detail view of photo A. Detail view shows length of pant leg extending further past the knee when compared to previous years during this period.
Photo B
Dated April 1890. Collage of player portraits with team photo in center. Full view at left, detail view of two player portraits at right. Team photo in the center was the same as shown in photo A. Detail views shows that players wore a dark cap with the dark uniform and that the cap had subtle horizontal bands. Note that one player, shown at top of detail view, wore a uniform with a regularly-shaped collar with no pinstripes.
Photo C
Dated April 1890. Cabinet card of T Dowse (90). Full view at left, detail view at right. Date determined by fact that this portrait was included in the collage of portraits, see photo B. Player wore a shirt in this photo that matched that shown in photo A. Player wore a dark cap with four subtle horizontal bands and a dark cord above the bill. Player ID from Ken Samoil. Year Dowse with team from baseball-reference.com.
Photo D
Dated mid-July 1890 to 1894, probably mid-July 1890 to October 1890. Cabinet card of J Virtue (90-94), full view at left, detail view at right. The uniform shirt in this photo had a small area of lace ties between the collar and the city name, and elongated collars with thin pinstripes. This uniform matched that shown in photo A although Virtue was not included in the team photo. Virtue was signed by Cleveland in July 1890 and before July 16. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Virtue signing info from The Sporting Life, July 19, 1890. This card was sold at auction in 2018 along with other baseball items by the descendants of Jake Virtue. Image scan from SCP Auctions. Original photo by John H. Ryder, Cleveland.
Photo E
Dated June 7, 1890. This drawing was based on a photo made in April 1890, see photo A, and was published in The Sporting Life on June 7. Research from Ken Samoil.
Dated June 7, 1890. Detail view of photo D. Detail view shows pinstripes on shirt collar and on bands at the sleeve cuffs.
Written documentation on these uniforms:
November 1889: “When the [National] League [meeting] finally adjourned for the day, its accomplished business included […] the authorization of President Young to fix a distinctive color for each club uniform.” From the Paterson (NJ) Morning Call, November 16, 1889.
January 1890: “The uniform of the Cleveland [National] League team next season will be dark blue throughout, except a narrow white band around the cap and the word ‘Cleveland’ in white across the breast. Reach & Co., of Philadelphia, are making the suits, which will be of Jersey cloth.” From The Sporting Life, January 29, 1890. Research from Chuck McGill. Note that the player portraits from this year, see photo B, do not show a cap with a white horizontal band.
January 1890: “[The National League] decided unanimously by selection of white suits to be […] worn at home at all times. Visiting teams will have their own options in selecting their dress, providing […] it is easily distinguished from the home team.” From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 30, 1890. Research from Gary Kodner.
1890: “The Cleveland Blues Brotherhood team of the 1890 Players League dressed its players in the traditional Cleveland blue uniform stripes and blue stockings, forcing the Cleveland Nationals to switch to black stockings.” From Richard Worth, Baseball Team Names, 1869-2011 (2013).
1890, referenced in April 1891: “The Cleveland ‘Spiders’ were about the only players in the [National] League last season [1890] who did not wear gray uniforms on road trips.” From the Cincinnati Enquirer, April 5, 1891.
Team genealogy: Cleveland 1887-1899
Cleveland was formed to join the American Association (AA) in 1887. The AA was a major league operating 1882-1891. Cleveland moved to the National League (NL) in 1889. The NL began operation in 1876 and Cleveland played in the NL from 1889 to 1899. After the 1899 season, Cleveland was dropped by the league and the team disbanded. Information from wikipedia.
Rendering posted: April 1, 2017
Diggers on this uniform: Chuck McGill, Ken Samoil, Mark Fimoff,