1859 Excelsior, Brooklyn (Excelsiors)

These renderings are based on visual documentation for uniform style only. An educated guess is made on uniform color and on some important details that may be missing or difficult to determine.

Rendering accuracy:Year: unconfirmed    Team: documented

Visual documentation on this uniform:

Photo A

Dated circa 1859, possibly June 30, 1859. Photo of Excelsior team of Brooklyn at right, and Knickerbocker of New York, at left. The above image had the year 1859 imprinted below it. Another version of this image had the year 1858 hand-written beneath it, possibly in error. According to Marshall D. Wright, The National Association of Base Ball Players, 1857-1870 (2000), the Excelsior and Knickerbocker clubs played five times between 1858 and 1860:

–July 8, 1858, at Brooklyn, Excelsior grounds, Carroll Park. This game can be eliminated as the box score does not include Harry Wright of the Knickerbockers, who was shown in photo A, standing sixth from left.
–August 20, 1858, at Hoboken, NJ, “Gotham grounds,” Elysian Fields. This game can likely be eliminated as Excelsior player Pearsall, identified in photo A and standing 8th from right, seemingly did not join the club until the 1859 season. Apparently, no box score was published for this game.
–June 30, 1859, at Hoboken, NJ, Elysian Fields. This was most likely the game in question. The umpire for this game was A. J. Bixby of the Eagle club, New York. In photo A, the umpire, standing between the two teams and wearing the top hat, showed some resemblance to that of a drawing of Bixby published in 1865. Some resources suggest that the gentleman was Dr. Joseph Bainbridge Jones (1823-1905), Excelsior president and president of the NABBP in 1860.
–August 2, 1859, at South Brooklyn, Excelsior grounds, Penny Ridge. This game can be eliminated as the umpire was Peter O’Brien of the Atlantic club, Brooklyn. The umpire in photo A does not match known photos of O’Brien.
–August 25, 1860, at Brooklyn, Excelsior grounds, foot of Court Street. This game can be eliminated as the box score included Excelsior pitcher James Creighton, who was not included in photo A.

Regarding the June 30, 1859, game, the New York Times on July 1, 1859, reported that “the game was an experimental one, to determine the relative merits of putting out men when fair struck balls were caught on the fly, as contrasted with the rule adopted by the baseball convention, of allowing men to be put out when fair struck balls were caught either on the bound or fly.” The box score from this game showed the following lineup for the Excelsiors, years with team in parenthesis: Joseph Leggett (57-63, 66), catcher; Ed Russell (58-62), pitcher; John Holder (58-60), third base; Thomas Reynolds (58-60), second base; Harry Polhemus (58-62), center field; John Whiting (59, 60), right field; Andrew Pearsall (59, 60), first base; George Cole (57-59), short field; and Arthur Markham (57-59), left field. When comparing these men to a known photo of the Excelsior team from 1860, the following identities can be made:

Top row, detail views of photo A from 1859. Bottom row, detail views of an Excelsior team photo from 1860.

The Excelsior players wore a variety of bib-front shirts in photo A. See detail view below for more on these various styles. The traditional colors of the Excelsior uniform during this period was blue pants and cap, with white shirt, belt and shoes. Years with team from Marshall D. Wright, The National Association Of Base Ball Players, 1857-1870 (2000), from William Ryczek, Peter Morris and others, Base Ball Founders (2013), from wikipedia.com, and from sabr.org. Info on Jones, club president, from Base Ball Founders. Traditional uniform colors from Charles A. Peverelly, The Book Of American Pastimes (1866). Original image from Charles Williamson, Brooklyn. Williamson info from www.19cbaseball.com.

Dated circa 1859, possibly June 30, 1859. Detail of photo A. Detail view shows a variety of bib configurations. The players at the far left and the three players at the far right wore a bib with a flat bottom. The far left bib had the letter “E” in the center. Based on the quality of the photo it is hard to determine if the other flat-bottomed bibs also had a letter. The player second from left wore a shield-shaped bib with a letter “E”. The player third from left wore a bib with extra decorative trim down the middle. All of these bibs were accented with a dark-colored trim. Note that two players had lettering on their belts, while the remaining Excelsior players did not. Note also the style of cap held by the players, featuring white ribs on a dark crown and a white visor.

Written documentation on this uniform:
None

Team genealogy: Excelsior, Brooklyn, 1854-1870s
Excelsior was formed in Brooklyn, NY, in late 1854. The club was one of 16 charter members of the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP), baseball’s first organization, operating 1857-1870. Named after the New York State motto, Excelsior was noted for organizing one of the first baseball tours, traveling to upstate New York in 1860 and playing in Albany, Troy, Buffalo, Rochester and Newburgh. Excelsior retained amateur status with the advent of open professionalism in 1869 and ceased to play games competitively in the 1870s. The success and popularity of the club before the Civil War led to frequent use of the Excelsior name by other teams in all areas of the country. Info from William Ryczek, Peter Morris and others, Base Ball Founders (2013).