1897 Louisville (Louisvilles, Colonels)
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 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 early August 1897. Year of photo confirmed by the appearance of players Werden, Butler and Evans, all of whom only played for Louisville in 1897. An early August date for the photo can be determined by the appearance of players D Clarke and Evans. D Clarke was traded to Louisville on August 4, 1897 and Evans was released by Louisville (for a second time) in mid-August 1897 after playing in a game on August 10. Honus Wagner, seated fourth from left, was also new to the team, having made his debut on July 19, 1897. Players wore a white or light gray uniform in this photo, or possibly a combination of both. Some of the players sitting on the ground in this photo may have worn a light gray shirt and white pants. A newspaper in 1897 described the home uniform as white in color and the road uniform as “cadet gray.” For each, the accent color was described as “dark blue.” The newspaper also wrote that on the home uniform “instead of the word ‘Louisville’ on the shirts there will be a fancy ‘L.’” The white uniforms in the August 1897 photo above showed the city name spelled out on the shirts and therefore it was possible that the “fancy L” shirt was never made in 1897. The shirts the players wore in photo A were without a breast pocket, which was a new trend in 1897, and five of the sixteen players wore their shirt collar styled up, also a growing trend. Ten of the players in this photo wore short-sleeved shirts. These shirts had button holes for sleeve extensions. At least one player wore pants with quilted padding. The pants of the two players standing in back were soiled, further suggesting this photo was taken during the season. The dark blue stockings had ribbing.
Top row, from left: J Dolan (96, 97), A Johnson (96, 97), B Hill (96, 97), P Werden (97), B Wilson (97, 98), D Butler (Lou 97, Roc/Mon 97) and G Stafford (Lou 97, 98, NY 97 7 gms). Middle: D Clarke (Lou 97, 98, NY 97), B Clingman (96-99), F Clarke (94-99, mgr 97-99), H Wagner (97-99) and B Magee (97-99). Front: R Evans (Lou 97, StL 97, Col WL 97), B Cunningham (95-99), C Fraser (96-98) and C Dexter (96-99). Player IDs from the Spalding Base Ball Guide 1898, which was published at the start of the 1898 season. Years with team and Wagner debut date from baseball-reference.com. Clarke trade info from retrosheet.org. Evans release info from Brian McKenna, SABR BioProject: Roy Evans, retrieved April 27, 1897. Input on the Louisville home uniform from Ken Samoil. Image scan from Mark Fimoff, SABR 19th-Century Pictorial Committee. Original photo by Edward Klauber, Louisville.
Dated early August 1897. Detail view of photo A. Detail view showed the city name arched across the chest in block lettering. Note that the position of the name on the shirt varied in relationship to the position of the shirt buttons. The example on left had a white button overlap the bottom portion of the letter “S”, the example in the middle showed a button overlap the top portion of the “S”, and the example at right showed buttons touching both the top and bottom of the letter “S”.
Dated early August 1897. Detail view of photo A. Detail view showed the stitching on the shirt at the shoulders, on the button placket and on the cuffs on the sleeves.
Dated early August 1897. Two detail views of photo A. Detail view at left showed a profile view of the Louisville cap that featured a rounded crown that tilted toward the front of the cap. Detail view at right showed the top button and stitching of the cap and how, in this example, the player had hand-cut holes for ventilation.
Photo B
Dated 1894 to 1899. Cabinet card of F Clarke (94-99, mgr 97-99), full view at left, detail view at right. An 1897 date for this photo may be possible as this uniform was very similar to the one shown in photo A, and also by the fact that 1897 was Clarke’s first year as manager. Player wore a uniform that was likely the team’s light gray road uniform. This may also be suggested by the fact that this image was made by a Chicago photographer. Note that one white shirt button overlapped the bottom portion of the letter “S” in the city name and that the shirt may not have had a shirt pocket. Both of these characteristics can be found in the uniform shown in photo A. Years Clarke with team from baseball-reference.com. Image scan from Ken Samoil. Original photo by F. Robert Polensky, Chicago.
Written documentation on these uniforms:
March 1897: “The measures of the players for their new uniforms will be taken as soon as the men arrive. The home uniforms will be white, with trimmings of dark blue. The visiting uniforms will be gray with blue trimmings. The last year’s uniforms will be used in the preliminary exhibition games. Instead of the word ‘Louisville’ on the shirts there will be a fancy ‘L.’” From the Louisville Courier-Journal, March 13, 1897. Research from Chuck McGill. Based on available visual documentation, it was possible the “fancy L” shirt was never produced in 1897 for Louisville as planned.
April 1897, referenced in a description of the 1897 Dallas uniform: “The Dallas uniforms will be cadet gray, with blue trimmings, same as the Louisville traveling uniform.” From The Sporting Life, April 10, 1897. Research from Chuck McGill.
April 22, 1897, Louisville v. Cleveland at Louisville, home opener: “On the right are nineteen young men dressed in natty white uniforms. […] These are the Colonels.” From the Louisville Courier-Journal, April 23, 1897. Research from Ed Morton.
Team genealogy: Louisville 1870s-1899
Louisville began as Eclipse, a semi-pro team in Louisville formed in the late 1870s. As Eclipse, they joined the American Association (AA) at its formation in 1882. The AA was a major league operating between 1882 and 1891. Eclipse was known as Louisville by 1884 and the team played in the AA through the 1891 season. The team joined the National League (NL) in 1892 when the AA and NL merged, and was disbanded after the 1899 season when the NL contracted from twelve to eight teams. Information from wikipedia.com and Ken Samoil.
Rendering posted: May 4, 2020
Diggers on this uniform: Brian McKenna, Chuck McGill, Ed Morton, Ken Samoil, Mark Fimoff,