1896 Cleveland (Clevelands, Spiders)

This rendering is based on 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: undocumented    Team: documented

Visual documentation on this uniform:

Photo A

Dated April 1896 to May 1896. Montage of player portraits, many of which were made in earlier years, see analysis below. Year of issue confirmed by the appearance of players Delahanty and Chamberlain as both men only played for Cleveland in 1896. Date range of April 1896 to May 1896 also determined by Delahanty and Chamberlain. Delahanty was purchased by Pittsburgh from Cleveland about May 30, 1896. Chamberlain played his last game for Cleveland on May 13, 1896 and was released later in the month.

Top row, from left: J McAleer (NL 89, 91-98, PL 90, AL 01), G Tebeau (dnp, Cle 94, 95, FW ISL 96), J O’Connor (92-98), C Childs (91-98), B Wallace (94-98) and J Burkett (91-98). Middle: C McGarr (93-96), E McKean (AA 87, 88, NL 89-98), P Tebeau (NL 89, 91-98, PL 90), C Young (NL 90-98, AL 09, 10) and E Chamberlain (96). Bottom: T Delahanty (Cle 96, Pit 96), Z Wilson (95-98), C Zimmer (AA 87, 88, NL 89-99), J Shearon (91, 96), H Blake (94-98), J Scheible (dnp, Cle 93, NB NEL 96) and N Cuppy (92-98). Image and player IDs from the Spalding Base Ball Guide 1897, published as a review of the 1896 season. Image scan from Ken Samoil. Delahanty purchase info from retrosheet.org. Chamberlain last game info from baseball-reference.com. Chamberlain release info from Charles F. Faber, SABR BioProject: Ice Box Chamberlain, retrieved September 20, 2020.

Analysis of portraits shown in photo A:
–McAleer: white shirt – joined team in 1889, photo shown in 1893 Just So poster, photo was probably taken in 1893
–G Tebeau: white shirt – joined team in 1894, photo possibly taken 1894-1896
–O’Connor: white shirt – joined team in 1892, photo shown in 1893 Just So poster, photo taken in 1892 or 1893
–Childs: white shirt – joined team in 1891, photo shown in 1893 Just So poster, photo taken in 1892 or 1893
–Wallace: white shirt – joined team in 1894, photo possibly taken 1894-1896
–Burkett: white shirt – joined team in 1891, photo shown in 1893 Just So poster, photo taken in 1892 or 1893
–McGarr: white shirt – joined team in 1893, pose does not match 1894 montage, photo possibly taken in 1895 or 1896
–McKean: white shirt – joined team in 1887, photo shown in 1893 Just So poster, photo taken in 1892 or 1893
–P Tebeau: white shirt – joined team in 1889, photo shown in 1893 Just So poster, photo taken in 1893
–Young: white shirt – joined team in 1890, photo shown in 1893 Just So poster, photo probably taken in 1893
–Chamberlain: white shirt– joined team in 1896, date of photo unknown
–Delahanty: white shirt – joined team in 1896, date of photo unknown
–Wilson: white shirt – joined team in 1895, photo possibly taken in 1895 or 1896
–Zimmer: white shirt – joined team in 1887, photo shown in 1893 Just So poster, photo taken in 1892 or 1893
–Shearon: dark shirt– played with team in 1891 and 1896, photo may be similar to others from circa 1892
–Blake: white shirt – joined team in 1894, photo possibly taken 1894-1896
–Scheible: white shirt – played with team in 1893, date of photo unknown
–Cuppy: white shirt – joined team in 1892, photo shown in 1893 Just So poster, photo taken in 1892 or 1893

Photo B

Dated about 1895 to November 1896. Cabinet card of J Burkett (91-98), full view at left, detail view at right. Date range determined by the style of cap, which came into use about 1895, and by a painting completed in November 1896 that was based on this photo, see photo C. As this cabinet card was produced by a photographer in Worcester MA, where Burkett resided, it was likely this photo was made during an off-season, possibly after the 1896 season. Player wore a white uniform in this photo, with a dark cap, dark belt and dark stockings. The city name was arched across the chest. Detail view showed the style of cap that featured a rounded crown and the fabric drawn to the front of the cap. Years Burkett with team from baseball-reference.com. Image scan from Ken Samoil. Original photo by Charles W. Holden, Worcester MA.

Dated about 1895 to November 1896. Two additional detail views of photo A. Detail view at left showed pants with quilted padding in a diamond pattern. Detail view at right showed Burkett’s baseball shoes with a slightly lower cut than typically found during this period.

Photo C

Dated November 1896. Painting of J Burkett (91-98), full view at left and detail view at right. This life-sized color painting (shown in grayscale) was based on photo B and was signed “Davis” and “1896” in the lower left corner. The painting was given as a gift to Burkett during a banquet in his honor in November 1896. A newspaper reported that “Jesse Burkett’s friends turned out in great style at the City Hotel, Worcester, Mass., on Thursday night of last week [November 16, 1896]. There were some 75 present and among those […] were Umpire Gaffney, Jimmy McGarr, Jimmy Callahan of the Chicagos, and the ex-ball player, Con Murphy. The guest of the evening was presented with an elegant life-size colored portrait of himself. It represents Burkett in uniform in base ball attitude waiting for the ball.” Burkett was being honored for winning his second straight NL batting title, hitting .410 in 1896, and had many supporters in Worcester, where he lived. After the 1896 season ended, it was reported that Burkett received “a great reception at his home in Worcester, Mass,” and when Burkett died in May 1953 his obituary noted that during his lifetime “Worcester fans gave him an eight-foot oil painting of himself and it still hangs in the family home on Grove St.” This presumably is the same artwork as shown above and that now is at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Cooperstown NY. Years Burkett with team from baseball-reference.com. November banquet info from The Sporting Life, November 21, 1896. Worcester reception info from The Sporting Life, October 31, 1896. Burkett obituary from the Boston Globe, May 28, 1953, with research from Tom Shieber.

Written documentation on this uniform:
April 1896: “The nicknames of the National league clubs are as follows: Boston, Beaneaters; Cleveland, Spiders; Pittsburg[h], Pirates; Philadelphia, Quakers; Baltimore, Orioles or Oysters; Brooklyn, Bridegrooms; Cincinnati, Reds; Louisville, Colonels; St. Louis, Browns; New York, Giants; Washington, Senators; Chicago, Colts.” From the Windsor (ON) Evening Record, April 14, 1896.

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.