1891 Cincinnati (Red Stockings, Reds, Kelly's Killers)
Left: This rendering is based on visual documentation for uniform style and written documentation for color. Important details may be undocumented or difficult to determine. An educated guess is made to complete the rendering.
Rendering accuracy:Year: documented Team: documented
Center & Right: These renderings are based on incomplete visual documentation for uniform style and written documentation for color. 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 May 8, 1891. This drawing, based on a photograph, was published in a newspaper on this date. The title above the drawing confirmed the team, the team nickname, and the league. Players were depicted wearing a shirt with lace ties that ended above the city name. The lettering on the shirt was positioned low across the chest. The cap was depicted as pillbox style, possibly with a single horizontal band. The belt and stockings were depicted as dark in color. Newspaper reports from this year stated that the home uniform was white in color with red stockings. One player in the front row, far right, was depicted wearing white stockings, which was described by newspapers as the road stocking color. The player standing in the back row, center, may have been wearing the team sweater.
Top row, standing from left: A Whitney (Cin AA 91, StL AA 91), D Johnston (91), E Crane (AA 91, NL 91), W Mains (Cin AA 91, Mil AA 91), E Andrews (91), Y Robinson (Cin AA 91, StL AA 91) and J Carney (Cin AA 91, Mil AA 91). Middle, seated: J Canavan (Cin AA 91, Mil AA 91), M Kelly (Cin AA 91, Bos AA 91, Bos NL 91), E Seery (91) and J Hurley (91). Front, on ground: F Vaughn (Cin AA 91, Mil AA 91), M Kilroy (91), W McGill (Cin AA 91, StL AA 91) and F Dwyer (Cin AA 91, Mil AA 91). Image and player IDs from the Cincinnati Post, May 8, 1891. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Image scan from Carson Lorey.
Dated May 8, 1891. Detail view of photo A. Detail view showed the team’s shirts with lace ties that ended above the city name. The cap may have had a thin horizontal line of trim. One newspaper report described the cap as “white caps trimmed in red.”
Photo B
Dated April 3, 1891. This drawing was published on this day and depicted Cincinnati player J Canavan (Cin AA 91, Mil WL 91) in an exhibition game against the Boston (AA) team at Boston on April 2. The illustration showed the player wearing a dark uniform — dark cap, shirt, pants and stockings — and a shirt that featured a white letter “C.” On April 4th, a newspaper described the Cincinnati road uniform as being dark blue in color “with a big white C in the center of the shirt fronts, and white stockings.” Based on this illustration, it is possible the team wore their red stockings for the April 2 exhibition game, not white. Image and player ID from the Boston Globe, April 3, 1891. Years Canavan with team from baseball-reference.com.
Photo C
Dated April 9, 1891. This drawing, full view at left, detail view at right, was published on this day and was a depiction of a play from the home opener where Cincinnati (AA) played at St. Louis on April 8. The drawing depicted an unnamed Cincinnati player showing the umpire the ball after tagging a St. Louis runner. The Cincinnati player was depicted wearing a dark shirt with a large letter “C” on the chest. The shirt may have been without buttons, possibly suggesting the shirt had lace ties, though unconfirmed. The player wore white pants, and may have had a white belt and a white cap with horizontal bands. A newspaper report from this game stated that the Cincinnati team wore “blue uniforms and pea green stockings.” This drawing may suggest they wore blue shirts with white pants for this game. Image from the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, April 9, 1891.
Photos D & E
Dated April 9, 1891. These drawings were published on this day and depicted scenes from the home opener where Cincinnati (AA) played at St. Louis on April 8. Both drawings were of Cincinnati player/manager M Kelly (Cin AA 91, Bos AA 91), and both may have depicted Kelly wearing dark pants and a white shirt, which would have been opposite from the Cincinnati uniform shown in another illustration from this same day, see photo C. Kelly, in both drawings, was shown wearing a white cap, possibly with dark horizontal bands. The scene at right, “Kelly quits the game,” may have been an illustration of when Kelly demonstrated against the calls of the umpire in the fourth inning. Reportedly, Kelly “was so mad that he tore off his gloves and declared that he would play no longer, and put on his coat and went out of the field.” The drawing suggested he took the team bats with him. Years Kelly with team from baseball-reference.com. Images and player ID from the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, April 9, 1891.
Written documentation on these uniforms:
February 1891: “It was decided [at the American Association league meeting] to have the players wear white uniforms while at home and black while abroad.” From the Rocky Mountain News (Denver), February 19, 1891. Note that this report described the road uniforms were required to be black in color in 1891, while other reports from 1891 stated the road uniforms were required to be “colored.” See below.
February 1891: “It was decided that during the playing [of the 1891 American Association] season the home teams shall wear white uniforms, and the visiting teams colored uniforms in all championship games.” From the New York Clipper, February 28, 1891.
March 1891: “Kelly’s Killers. That is what [Manager] Mike [Kelly] is going to call them, and they will wear black suits, with white stockings.” From The Sporting Life, March 28, 1891. Note that later reports say the team wore blue on the road, not black.
March 1891: “[Mike] Kelly arrived in Baltimore Thursday [March 26] and immediately bought ten pairs of green stockings for the Cincinnati American Association team to wear in Boston [on] Fast Day [April 2]. This is quite an outfit.” From the New York Herald, March 28, 1891. The paper also reported that Cincinnati was in Baltimore and Norfolk, VA, for spring training and that the game in Boston against the AA team was scheduled as an exhibition game.
March-April 1891: “Perhaps twice during the preseason, the Cincinnati players wore green stockings. ‘They simply put on the color of Old Erin on the opening day at [St. Louis] to humor King Kel,’ wrote Harry Weldon of the Cincinnati Enquirer. They also wore green on the last day of the preseason.” From Howard W. Rosenberg, Cap Anson 2: The Theatrical and Kingly Mike Kelly (2004).
April 1891: “The [American] Association teams are required this year to wear white suits on their own grounds and some color abroad. The object of the new rule is to enable spectators easily to distinguish the local and visiting players.” From the Baltimore Sun, April 2, 1891. Research from Don Stokes.
April 2, 1891, Cincinnati (AA) v. Boston (AA), at Boston, Congress Street grounds, exhibition game: “The men were all wrapped up in heavy clothes, the home team wearing white with red stockings; Cincinnati looking well in dark blue with white stockings.” From the Boston Globe, April 3, 1891.
April 1891: “The [Cincinnati AA] team’s uniform will consist of dark blue for traveling, with a big white C in the center of the shirt fronts, and white stockings. At home white will be worn, with red stockings.” The team also ordered green stockings: “[Mike] Kelly’s order of green stockings for the Cincinnati Association team would indicate that his heart is still true—to Ireland. That color won’t do, however. The only other club that ever wore green, the famous Mutuals of New York, had to discard the color because of the danger of blood poisoning in case of injury.” From The Sporting Life, April 4, 1891. Research from Chuck McGill.
April 8, 1891, Cincinnati (AA) v. St. Louis, at St. Louis, Sportsman’s Park, opening day: “The Cincinnatis, with their blue uniforms and pea green stockings, marched on the field first with a brass band in front.” From the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, April 9, 1892.
April 8/10, 1891, Cincinnati (AA) v. St. Louis, at St. Louis: “Mike Kelly’s threat to put green stockings on the Cincinnati Association team was no joke. The Cincinnatis, in their games with the St. Louis Browns, are wearing blue uniforms with green stockings.” From the Cincinnati Enquirer, April 11, 1891.
April 1891: “Under the rules of the American Association of Base Ball Clubs [the player] shall at the beginning of his term of employment provide himself, at his own cost and expense, with a uniform to be selected and designated by [the team] consisting of the following articles, viz.: Two shirts, two pairs of pants, two belts, two pairs of stockings, two pairs of shoes (if needed) with spikes, two caps, one jacket, one necktie. All of which during the entire term of his employment he is to keep in thorough repair and replenish as required at his own expense; and he agrees to appear on the field at the beginning of each game in which he is to play in an entirely el-an [i.e., lively] uniform, all cleaning of the same to be paid for by himself.” From The Sporting Life, April 13, 1891.
April 1891: “The stockings of the new American Association club at Cincinnati will be bright green.” From the Gloversville (NY) Daily Leader, April 15, 1891.
April 15, 1891, Cincinnati (AA) v. Louisville, at Louisville: “More trouble for the Greens. The Louisville team again down Kelly’s men.” From the Cincinnati Enquirer, April 16, 1891. A reference to the green stockings worn by the team at the beginning of the season.
April 1891: “The Cincinnati [American] Association team is not wearing green stockings, as has been generally rumored. They simply put on the color of old Erin on the opening day [exhibition game] at Boston to humor King Kel [i.e., Mike Kelly]. Since that time the team has been wearing its regular traveling uniform—blue suits, white stockings and white trimmings. In the home games they will wear white suits, with the time-honored red stockings and white caps trimmed in red.” From the Cincinnati Enquirer, April 19, 1891. Also from The Sporting Life, May 2, 1891. Sporting Life research from Chuck McGill.
April 25, 1891, Cincinnati (AA) v. Louisville, at Cincinnati, opening day: “The Kellys, in white and green stockings, in honor of Mike [Kelly], paraded from the Grand Hotel at 1 p.m. The game was called [i.e., begun] at 3 p.m.” From Preston D. Orem, Baseball 1882-1891 From The Newspaper Accounts (1966, 1967, reprinted by SABR in 2021), pg. 547. Orem noted that “due to the [new] park not being ready, the Cincinnati opening was postponed to April 25th.” Orem also noted that despite the loss at home, “the fans were happy with Kelly and his Kellys.”
April 1891, advertisement: “Base-ball at East End Park today, Kelly’s ‘Hustlers’ vs. Champion Louisvilles.” From the Cincinnati Enquirer, April 26, 1891.
April 28, 1891, Cincinnati (AA) v. Columbus, at Cincinnati: “Pat Seery was injured on April 28th. Kelly rushed out to the clubhouse, donned a uniform and rushed back so that the game was only delayed ten minutes.” From Preston D. Orem, Baseball 1882-1891 From The Newspaper Accounts (1966, 1967, reprinted by SABR in 2021), pg. 548.
May 24, 1891, Cincinnati v. Athletic, Philadelphia, at Cincinnati: “Cincinnati took plenty of time in dressing, then appeared in their neat traveling suits of blue and red.” From Preston D. Orem, Baseball 1882-1891 From The Newspaper Accounts (1966, 1967, reprinted by SABR in 2021), pg. 551. This game was ended in the first inning when the players were arrested for playing on Sunday. This may also be the reason Cincinnati delayed in taking the field on this day.
Team genealogy: Cincinnati, 1891-1891
Cincinnati was formed to join the American Association (AA) for the 1891 season. The AA was a major league operating from 1882 to 1891. The Cincinnati team folded on August 17, 1891 and Milwaukee of the Western Association played the remainder of the Cincinnati schedule. Players were sold off to other teams, mainly Milwaukee and St. Louis (AA). Info from wikipedia.
Rendering posted: September 7, 2022
Diggers on this uniform: Carson Lorey, Chuck McGill, Don Stokes,