1900 Providence (Grays)

This rendering is based on visual documentation for uniform style and partial written documentation for color. Important details may be undocumented or difficult to determine. An educated guess is made to complete the rendering.

Rendering accuracy:Year: documented    Team: documented

Visual documentation on this uniform:

Photo A

Dated late August 1900 to late September 1900. Year of photo determined by the appearance of players Clements and Parent, both of whom only played for Providence in 1900. Date range of late August to late September determined by Clements, who was loaned to Providence from Boston in the last week of August and was returned to Boston in the last week of September. The Eastern League season ended on September 22 and a newspaper reported that “Clements stayed over in Providence for the [championship] banquet” on September 25 and then “showed up on the bench in Boston in citizen’s clothes” for a game on September 26.” Players wore a light gray uniform in this photo with dark stockings. The collar of the shirt was of the same color as the shirt, and the shirt had white buttons on a wide placket. At first glance the shirt seemed devoid of any lettering. However upon closer inspection it can be determined that some of the shirts had a light-colored letter “P” on the left breast and also a shirt pocket beneath the right breast, see detail views below. The team’s caps were not shown in the photo. Two players in the back row wore light-gray shirts with dark-colored collars. Both of these shirts also had a letter “P on the left breast, but these letters were of a slightly darker color. These letters also did not match each other, one was larger than the other, and one was positioned on a left-breast pocket. It is possible these were uniforms from previous years. One player in the back row wore a light-gray shirt or sweater with fabric ties. The traditional color for the Providence team was a warm gray with blue trimmings. A newspaper report from 1901 stated the 1900 team wore blue as an accent color. The light-colored letter on the shirts may have been of a light-blue color, which typically does not reproduce well in black-and-white imagery.

Top row, from left: J Clements (Pro 00, Bos NL 00), D Friend (00-02), D Dunkle (99-01), D Evans (99, 00) and F Corridon (Pro 99-02, Nor CSL 00). Middle: S Braun (97-01), J Connor (00-04), (W Murray mgr 94-02), H Davis (99, 00) and P Cassidy (99-02). Front: G Stafford (00, 01, 03), J Walters (99-01), F Parent (00) and T Leahy (98-01). Image and player IDs from the Spalding Base Ball Guide 1901, published in April 1901 as a review of the 1900 season. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Info on Clements going to Providence from The Sporting Life, September 1, 1900. Season end date from The Sporting Life, September 29, 1900. Info on Clements at Providence for banquet and returning to Boston from The Sporting Life, October 6, 1900. Original photo from Horton Bros., Providence.

Dated late August 1900 to late September 1900. Detail view of photo A. Detail view showed a shirt with a pocket on the right breast. At first glance, the shirts appeared to have no lettering. However closer inspection showed that some of the shirts in this photo had a light-colored letter P” on the left breast, see below.

Dated late August 1900 to late September 1900. Left, another detail view of photo A. Right, the same detail view with the shirt pocket and the light-colored letter “P” enhanced in red.

Dated late August 1900 to late September 1900. Another detail view of photo A. Detail view showed two players in the back row wearing light-gray shirts with dark-colored collars. Both of these shirts also had a letter “P” on the left breast, both letters were probably light blue in color. However these letters did not match each other, one was larger than the other, and only one was positioned on a left-breast pocket. It is possible these were uniforms from previous years.

Written documentation on this uniform:
September 1900: “This year Manager William Murray of the 1900 champions has been unhampered in the management of the Providence Grays, and the result is known. […] Although he has not taken active part this season, he has arrayed himself in a uniform and has kept the coach lines hot.” From the Syracuse Evening Telegram, September 24, 1900. This report included the team nickname of “Grays,” a reference to the team’s traditional uniform color.

September 1900: “There was a crowd gathered at the station in Worcester, and they gave hearty cheers to the champion Grays. As the train came into the station a large streamer with ‘Providence Base Ball Club, Eastern League Champions 1901’ was seen on the side of the car.” From The Sporting Life, October 6, 1900. Another use of the team nickname of “Grays,” a reference to the team’s traditional uniform color.

October 1900: “We are indebted to Manager Murray for a large group photo of the champion Providence team. This is one of the finest specimens of the photographer’s art we have yet seen, and is the handiwork of Horton Bros., of Providence.” From The Sporting Life, October 27, 1900.

April 1901, referencing 1900: “The uniforms for the Providence team [of 1901] will be the regulation Providence gray, with darker blue trimmings than those of last year [1900], and there will be a large “P” on the shirt. The sweaters will be of dark blue with gray trimmings.” From the Hartford Courant, April 11, 1901. Research from Don Stokes.

Team genealogy: Providence 1891-1917
Providence joined the Eastern Association/League (EL) in 1891. The EL operated between 1891 and 1911 and became the International League in 1912. Providence played in the EL/IL between 1891 and 1917 and dropped out after the 1917 season. Information from Bill O’Neal, The International League (1992).