1892 Cleveland (Clevelands, Spiders)
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 partial visual documentation for uniform style and partial 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
Visual documentation on these uniforms:
Photo A
Dated April 1892 to early May 1892. Year of photo confirmed by appearance of player Rettger, who only played for Cleveland in 1892. Date range of April 1892 to early May 1892 determined by appearance of players Shearon and Viau. A newspaper reported that Shearon was released from the team by May 7, 1892. Viau was also released at this time or as late as May 28, 1892. Players wore a white uniform in this photo with dark caps, lettering, belts and stockings. 5 of the 16 players in this photo wore short sleeves, 2 of the 16 wore 3/4-length sleeves. At least 2 players wore quilted padding on their pants. The photo may show that the Cleveland players wore light-colored shoes, possibly tan in color. A newspaper report from 1892 described the Cleveland home uniform as white with black trimmings.
Top row, from left: C Young (90-98, AL 09-11), G Davis (90-92), G Rettger (Cle 92, Cin 92), J Shearon (dnp, Cle 91, Alb 92, Roc 92), J Doyle (Cle 91, 92, NY 92), J McAleer (NL 89, 91-98, PL 90, AL 01), J O’Connor (92-98) and G Davies (92, 93). Front row: J Virtue (90-94), T Williams (92, 93), N Cuppy (92-98), C Childs (91-98), P Tebeau (NL 89, 91-98, PL 90), L Viau (Cle 90-92, Lou 92), J Burkett (91-98) and E McKean (AA 87, 88, NL 89-98). Player IDs and detail views of image from Nigel Ayres. Years with team and Viau release info from baseball-reference.com. Shearon release date from The Sporting Life, May 7, 1892. Note that Cleveland mainstay C Zimmer (AA 87, 88, NL 89-99) was not included in this team photo. Zimmer delayed signing his contract in March 1892 and it is unknown if this is the reason he was not included in this photo. Zimmer did play in the Cleveland home opener on April 21, 1892. Game date from restrosheet.org.
Dated April 1892 to early May 1892. Detail view of photo A. Detail view shows that players wore a collared shirt and that the shirt had the city name in arched lettering across a button placket.
Dated April 1892 to early May 1892. Another detail view of photo A. Detail view shows arched lettering across the shirt.
Dated April 1892 to early May 1892. Another detail view of photo A. Detail view shows that players wore light-toned shoes, possibly tan in color.
Photo B
Dated April 1892. Photo montage of player portraits and 1892 team schedules for spring and fall split seasons. Full view at left, detail view at right. Date of issue can be confirmed by April dates on printed schedule and by appearance of player Rettger, who only played for Cleveland in 1892. Montage showed a variety of portraits taken between the years 1889 and 1892. The portraits of McAleer and McKean showed a dark shirt with a pin-striped collar and lettering that was vertically arched across the chest. These portraits were made in 1889. The portraits of Virtue, Zimmer and Davis showed a dark shirt and an elongated pin-striped collar. These portraits were made in 1890. The portraits of Young, Childs, Viau and Doyle showed a dark shirt with a less-pronounced pin-striped collar and lettering that was radially arched across the chest. These portraits were made in 1891. The portrait of Rettger showed a dark shirt with a dark collar, white lettering and white buttons on a button placket. As stated, 1892 was Rettger’s only year with the team which suggests his portrait was made in that year. The portraits of Shearon, Tebeau and O’Conner showed the same uniform and studio lighting as the Rettger portrait, suggesting these portraits were also made in 1892. This was the first year in Cleveland for O’Connor, further confirming the 1892 photo date. See detail views of portraits below. The remaining portraits of Davies and Burkett showed a dark uniform with the word ‘Cleveland’ added-in or enhanced after the portraits were made. The date of these two portraits is undetermined. A newspaper reporter in April 1892 facetiously described the Cleveland team as the “blue bellies” and this may suggest the color of the uniform shown in these portraits.
Top row, from left: C Young (90-98, AL 09-11), G Rettger (Cle 92, Cin 92), J Shearon (dnp, Cle 91, Alb 92, Roc 92), J Virtue (90-94) and G Davies (92, 93). Second row: P Tebeau (NL 89, 91-98, PL 90). Third row: C Zimmer (AA 87, 88, NL 89-99), C Childs (91-98), E McKean (AA 87, 88, NL 89-98), J McAleer (NL 89, 91-98, PL 90, AL 01) and J Burkett (91-98). Fourth row: G Davis (90-92), J O’Connor (92-98), L Viau (Cle 90-92, Lou 92) and J Doyle (Cle 91, 92, NY 92). Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Image scan from Brian Drent’s Mile High Card Company.
Dated April 1892. Three detail views of photo A. Left: detail view of all portraits. Right top: portrait of G Davies (92, 93). Right bottom: J Burkett (91-98). The Davies and Burkett portraits had the city name added to the shirt by a retoucher, suggesting these portraits may have been made before these players joined the team. Image scan of detail view at left from Ken Samoil.
Dated April 1892. Detail view of photo B. Left: portrait of G Rettger (Cle 92, Cin 92). Right: portrait of J Shearon (Cle 91, Alb 92, Roc 92). Detail views show that players wore a dark shirt with a dark collar and with four white buttons running down a button placket. Note how the second button nestled next to the letter “E” in Cleveland. Also note that the lettering across the shirt was not white and may have been light blue or light gray in color.
Dated April 1892. Two detail views of photo B. Left: portrait of J O’Connor (92-98). Right: portrait of P Tebeau (NL 89, 91-98, PL 90). Detail views show a shirt pocket on the left breast.
Photo C
Left: dated April 1892. Detail view of photo B, portrait of J Burkett (91-98), with the city name added later to the shirt. Right: dated October 18, 1896, portrait of Burkett published in a newspaper on this date. It is possible the illustration at right was drawn from the photograph at left, based on the similar pose, the similar spiky hair style, the shape of the collar and the prominent top button at the neck. Based on the illustration, it was also possible the shirt worn by Burkett in the original photo had the city name lettered across the front. If this speculation is correct, the original photo of Burkett was made while he played for Cleveland between 1891 and April 1892. Player ID and illustration at right from the Boston Post, October 18, 1896. Years Burkett with team from baseball-reference.com.
Photo D
Dated July 1892 to October 1892. Photo date range determined by appearance of players Clarkson and Davis. Clarkson signed with Cleveland on July 5, 1892 and Davis was traded from Cleveland to New York on February 28, 1893. Players wore a white uniform in this photo, similar to that shown in photo A. At least four players in this photo wore padded pants. Photo also showed that the white uniform had a shirt pocket on the left breast. A newspaper report from 1892 described the Cleveland home uniform as white with black trimmings.
Top row, from left: N Cuppy (92-98), J O’Connor (92-98), C Childs (91-98), P Tebeau (NL 89, 91-98, PL 90), J Burkett (91-98), E McKean (AA 87, 88, NL 89-98) and J Virtue (90-94). Front row: G Davis (90-92), J McAleer (NL 89, 91-98, PL 90, AL 01), C Young (NL 90-98, AL 09-11), C Zimmer (AA 87, 88, NL 89-99) and J Clarkson (Cle 92-94, Bos NL 92). Research and player IDs from Ken Samoil. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Clarkson and Davis transaction info from retrosheet.org via baseball-reference.com. Image scan from SCP Auctions, collection of the Jake Virtue family.
Dated July 1892 to October 1892. Detail view of photo C. Detail view showed that uniform had a shirt pocket on the left breast. Detail view also showed that a shirt button overlapped the top portion of the letter “E” on the button placket.
Written documentation on these uniforms:
February 1892: “The Cleveland Club has discarded the time-honored dull-blue uniform and will henceforth array its players in a handsome blue-gray, somewhat resembling the Chicago traveling uniform. At home the team will wear white flannel, as usual, with black stockings.” From The Sporting Life, February 27, 1892. Research from Chuck McGill. It is unknown if the blue-gray road uniform mentioned in this report was the one shown in the 1892 montage of portraits.
April 1892: “Cleveland President [Colonel Robison] is making some rash talk when he tries to compare his blue-bellied ‘Spiders’ with Comiskey’s [Cincinnati] club. –Ban Johnson” From The Sporting Life, April 2, 1892. This editorial comment by the future American League President suggested the Cleveland road uniform in 1892 was blue in color.
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: March 10, 2018
Diggers on this uniform: Chuck McGill, Ken Samoil, Mark Fimoff, Nigel Ayres,