1883 Providence (Grays)

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

This rendering is included in the book, BASEBALL THREADS.

Visual documentation on this uniform:
None

Written documentation on this uniform:
January 1883: “The Philadelphia team will wear blue and white stockings next season; Boston, red; Chicago, whites; Buffalo, gray; Providence, light blue; Cleveland, navy blue; Detroit, brown. New York’s color is yet to be selected and green is suggested.” From the Fort Wayne (IN) Gazette, January 18, 1883.

March 1883: “Director Reach, with the assistance of Manager Robert Ferguson, has succeeded in securing what he calls ‘a pretty strong nine for the Philadelphia Club’ […] and expects to have all his team in this city by the 25th instant. […] The Philadelphia nine will be uniformed in white with cardinal trimmings, the same as last season [1882].” From the Philadelphia Times, March 1, 1883. Research from Ed Morton. In 1882, the Philadelphia team belonged to the League Alliance.

1883: “For uniforms for [National] league clubs, in the future, no two of them are to appear in the same colors. Red stockings are to mark the Boston Club; gray stockings, the Buffalo Club; white stockings, the Chicago Club; navy blue stockings, the Cleveland Club; brown stockings, the Detroit Club; blue and white check stockings, the Philadelphia Club; light blue stockings, the Providence Club; the New York club will have white pantaloons and shirt, with a crimson cap and crimson and black stockings, which will be in bands two inches wide.” From the DeWitt Base-Ball Guide, 1883, p. 29. Research from John Thorn.

1883: “Messrs. Buckley, Day and Wright were appointed to constitute [a uniform] committee, who reported in favor of the clubs named being permitted to wear colored stockings selected by them as follows: Boston, red; Chicago, white; Detroit, brown; Buffalo, gray; Cleveland, navy blue; Providence, light blue. Also of allowing New York and Philadelphia clubs to select their own colors prior to the commencement of the season, which should be distinctive and not in conflict with any of the colors selected by the above named clubs.” From the Spalding Guide 1883, p.101. Research from John Thorn.

April 1883: “The uniform of the Providence [National] league team is gray throughout.” From the Ft. Wayne Gazette, April 11, 1883.

April 1883: “The uniform of the [Providence] club will be gray, with light-blue stockings.” From the Chicago Tribune, April 15, 1883. Research from Ed Morton.

May 1883: “The Providence club already have twenty men on their salary list. Harry Wright’s experiments are sometimes very expensive.” From the Buffalo Sunday News, May 6, 1883.

June 27, 1883, Providence v. Philadelphia, at Providence: “A base ball crank named James Murphy, shot at [Cliff] Carroll, of the Providence nine, as he was leaving the field this evening [June 27]. The ball missed Carroll and hit slightly [Joe] Mulvey, another member of the club. Murphy, who had declared his intention of shooting Carroll, was arrested.” From the Detroit Free Press, June 28, 1883, page 1. Not uniform related but interesting nonetheless.

1883, referenced in April 1884: “Harry Wright was ridiculed last season [1883] for thinking of such an idea as a reserve team. Now the Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, New York, St. Louis, Allegheny and Cincinnati have followed the example of the old man.” From the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, April 13, 1884.

Team genealogy: Providence 1878-1885
Providence joined the National League (NL) in 1878. The NL was organized in 1876. Providence played in the NL for 8 years, disbanding after the 1885 season. Information from wikipedia.com.

1883 Providence summary

Uniform: light gray, light blue stockings
First worn:
Photographed:
Described: April, May
Material:
Manufacturer:
Supposition: cap style, shirt style
Variations:
Other items:
Home opener report: no, May 30 v. Buffalo