1898 Indianapolis (Hoosiers)
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: documented Team: documented
Visual documentation on this uniform:
Photo A
Dated late July 1898 to late September 1898. Year and date range of photo determined by player Nicholl, who was only on the Indianapolis roster in 1898 and joined the team in the days before July 24, 1898. The team was photographed on a playing field and in front of a white background that had been positioned behind them. Thisimage was most likely made in Kansas City when the Indianapolis team played there. Kansas City superintendent Charles Meyer organized photos of visiting Western League teams to be taken on the field in Kansas City during the 1898, 1899 and 1900 seasons. The photographer of these images was not credited and many of the photos included the mark of “Meyer” and “K.C. Mo.” in the bottom corner. Though the photo above did not include Meyer’s mark, the composition of the players and the white backdrop used behind the men was very similar to Meyer’s other photos from this period. Players wore a light gray uniform in this photo. The pillbox cap was light gray and had subtle horizontal bands. The short-sleeve shirt had white buttons and a left breast pocket that featured an italic script letter “I.” The belt and pants were dark in color. The letter on the pocket was similar to what the team wore the previous season of 1897, however the 1898 letter was more upright and larger in size. At least two players in this photo wore shirts with no letter.
Top row, from left: F Foreman (97, 98), T Fleming? (Ind 98, Oma/StJ WL 98), G Flynn (96-01), H McFarland (97-99) and G Hogreiver (95-04). Middle: A Stewart (96-00), B Allen (98, 99), E Scott (98, 99) and F Motz? (94-99). Front: B Phillips (94-98, 04), M Kahoe (97-99, 06) and S Nicholl (Ind 98, Det WL 98). Identity of Fleming is unconfirmed. Fleming started the year with Indianapolis but was “farmed” to Omaha in the days before May 30, 1898. However at the end of the 1898 season, Indianapolis reserved Fleming for the 1899 season and it is possible that Fleming, as Indianapolis property, was included in this photo taken in late 1898. Player IDs from Carson Lorey, Ken Samoil and Nigel Ayres. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Info on Nicholl joining Indianapolis from The Sporting Life, July 30, 1898. Info on Fleming farmed to Omaha from The Sporting Life, June 4, 1898. Info on Fleming being reserved by Indianapolis from The Sporting Life, October 1, 1898. Info on Charles Meyer from the Kansas City Times, October 13, 1898, with research from Ed Morton. Image scan from the Detroit Public Library, Ernie Harwell Collection.
Dated late July 1898 to late September 1898. Detail view of photo A. Detail view showed that the letters on the shirts were not identical. Compare the lower curl of the letter shown on the uniform in the top row with those shown in the middle row.
Written documentation on this uniform:
1898, referenced in February 1900: “The uniforms for the coming season [of 1900] will be similar to those used by the Indianapolis since 1895. White uniforms will be used at home and probably a gray uniform on the road.” From the Indianapolis Journal, February 25, 1900 Research from Ed Morton.
Team genealogy: Indianapolis 1894-1900
Indianapolis joined the Western League (WL) in 1894 when the league reformed. The reorganized WL operated between 1894 and 1899 and reformed again as the American League (AL) for the 1900 season. Indianapolis played in the WL between 1894 and 1899 and in the American League in 1900. The team was dropped when the AL declared major-league status in 1901. Information from wikipedia.com.
Rendering posted: February 6, 2021
Diggers on this uniform: Carson Lorey, Ed Morton, Ken Samoil, Nigel Ayres,