1899 Chicago Union (Unions)

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. Important 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 1899. Promotional calendar for the 1899 Chicago Union Base Ball Club featuring player portraits, team win-loss records from previous seasons, and an 1899 tear-off calendar. Full view at left, detail view of two player portraits at right. Based on the similarities in studio background and lighting, it could be suggested that all of the portraits on the calendar were made at the same time, either in 1898 or 1899. The printed surround noted that the team was in its “19th season,” and that it played “every Sunday” in Chicago at “37th and Butler Street.” Some sources say the team was organized in 1887. Based on this the team was playing its 13th season in 1899, not its 19th. Players wore a dark uniform shirt in these photographs, with lettering across the chest displayed in a middle tone. Note that the team name was presented on the shirts in the plural from, “Unions,” and not in the singular form, “Union,” as shown at the top of the calendar.

Top row, from left: Willis Jones lf, Billy Holland p, Robert Jackson c/capt, Bill Joyner rf and David Wyatt ss. Middle: Harry Hyde 3b, Robert Footes c, (William S. Peters, mgr), Bert Jones p and Harry (Mike) Moore 1b. Bottom: P Arnett of/extra, Harry Buckner p, (Frank C. Leland, mgr) and George Hopkins 2b. Player IDs from item. Additional info on identifications from seamheads.com, from Gary Ashwill, from the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, eMuseum, nlbemuseum.com, and frrom Dr. Layton Revel, Early Pioneers of the Negro Leagues: William S. Peters (2017).

Photos B, C & D

Dated 1898 or 1899. From left, portraits of Harry Hyde, Robert Jackson and David Wyatt. All three of these portraits were included in the promotional calendar from 1899, see photo A. Photos showed the players wearing a shirt with thin lace ties. The player at left wore a turtleneck sweater under his shirt. Player IDs from photo A. Images from Sol White, Sol White’s Official Base Ball Guide (1907). Image scans from Gary Ashwill.

Written documentation on this uniform:
None

Team genealogy: Chicago Union 1887-1900
The Union Base Ball Club was organized in Chicago in 1887 and evolved into a pro team over time. Often referred to in the plural form as the Chicago Unions, the team played as an independent continuously throughout the 1890s and to the end of the 1900 season. For the 1901 season, the team merged with the Columbia Giants, also of Chicago, and the new entity was called the Chicago Union Giants. Info from nlbpa.com and wikipedia.com.