1900 Chicago (Chicagos, Orphans)

These renderings are based on written documentation for uniform style and color. No visual documentation is known and an artist’s conceptualization is used to create the renderings.

Rendering accuracy:Year: documented    Team: documented

Visual documentation on these uniforms:

Photo A

Drawings of the 1900 Chicago uniforms by baseball historian Marc Okkonen. Drawings from the Dressed To The Nines uniform database at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum website, and retrieved March 8, 2022.

Written documentation on these uniforms:
April 1900: “The Chicago players will wear white uniforms, with red trimmings, at home, and gray uniforms and white trimmings on the road.” From the Indianapolis News, April 6, 1900. This most likely was a reference to the Chicago NL team.

April 1900: “The Chicago players are threatening to bolt the [Cincinnati opening day] parade, objecting to going on exhibition, but a majority probably will parade.” From the Chicago Tribune, April 19, 1900.

April 24, 1900, Chicago v. St. Louis, at St. Louis: “The Orphans, by rotten fielding, threw this game to the Perfectos” From The Sporting Life, April 28, 1900. An example of the Orphans nickname in use.

1900: “The NL Chicago ‘Orphans’ (or ‘Remnants’ — they weren’t the ‘Cubs’ just yet) at the turn of the century wore the plainest of the plain in uniforms — no lettering or insignias of any kind. The jersey was strictly regulation — standard fold-down collar, buttons part way down the front, and a pocket on the left breast. Caps were the abbreviated ‘Boston’ style with a close fitting round crown and a thin color band around the base of the crown. It was white at home and gray on the road with maroon stockings and cap trim in 1900.” From Marc Okkonen, Baseball Uniforms of the 20th Century (1991).

Team genealogy: Chicago 1874-
Chicago reformed after the Great Fire of October 1871 and rejoined the National Association (NA) in 1874 and 1875 after a two-year absence. The NA was baseball’s first league, operating 1871-1875. Chicago joined the National League (NL) at its formation in 1876 and the team has played in the NL every year since 1876. Information from Paul Batesel, Players and Teams of the National Association, 1871-1875, from baseball-reference.com, and from wikipedia.