1895 Norfolk (Norfolks)

Left: This rendering is based on partial visual documentation for uniform style only. Color information is unknown and the uniform is rendered in values of gray. Minor details may also be undocumented or difficult to determine and an educated guess is made to complete the rendering.

Rendering accuracy:Year: documented    Team: documented

Right: This rendering is based on written documentation for uniform style and color. No visual documentation is known and an artist’s conceptualization is used to create the rendering.

Rendering accuracy:Year: documented    Team: documented

Visual documentation on these uniforms:

Photo A

Dated 1895. Portrait of W Setley (95), full view at left, detail view at right. Photo date determined by fact that this was the player’s only year in Norfolk. Player wore a white shirt in this photo and a pillbox-style cap. The cap had two horizontal bands. The city name arched across a buttoned shirt and one button overlapped the letter “F” in Norfolk. The shirt was unbuttoned at the collar. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Image scan from baseballhistorydaily.com.

Written documentation on these uniforms:
July 1895: “Owner O’Neill has ordered new uniforms for his team. They will be of black material. On hearing that the new suits were to be black the team was dubbed ‘The Mourners,’ by reason of occupying last place. [Manager] ‘Pop’ Tate thinks the change will be a lucky omen.” From The Sporting Life, July 6, 1895. Research from Chuck McGill.

Team genealogy: Norfolk 1894-1898
Norfolk joined the Virginia State League (VSL) upon the league’s formation in 1894. The VSL operated between 1894 and 1896 and Norfolk played in the VSL all three of these years. The team joined the Atlantic Association (ATA) for the 1897 season. The ATA operated between 1896 and 1900 and Norfolk played in the ATA in 1897 and 1898. Information from Baseball America, Inc., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (1997).