1876 Uniforms
| National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs | ||||||||||
| Boston Beaneaters |
Chicago Haymakers |
Cincinnati Excelsiors |
Hartford Bridegrooms |
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| Louisville Pastimers |
New York Knickerbockers |
Philadelphia Keystones |
St. Louis Pioneers |
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| The uniforms of the first professional baseball league in its first season were, naturally, similar to the uniforms worn by amateur teams at the time. Features of these uniforms that are familiar to modern fans include caps with visors, pants that extended not far past the knee, and buttoned shirts. Features that have become extinct between then and now include collars, ties, long sleeves, shirts fastened by laces, detachable bibs, and pillbox-shaped caps. All uniforms were white, as most are today. Most caps had horizontal stripes, some thick, some thin. All jerseys displayed either the city name or the first initial of the city. The Louisville and Philadelphia jerseys both featured a blackletter initial; this style would become a popular choice in the years to come and still graces the Cleveland Bobcats’ caps today. The New York Knickerbockers were the first team to wear a cap with a bill a different color (red) than the crown (white) of the cap. The Boston Beaneaters, forerunners of today’s Boston Terriers, were the only team that eschewed ties. In their first professional season the Boston club had already adopted the familiar blue shade that has graced every one of its uniforms since. |