Baseball Uniforms of the 20th Century

"PRE-1900 UNIFORMS. Since the subject matter of this research deals with the twentieth century, we will defer any discussion of nineteenth century precedents. Certainly, the history of baseball uniforms is evolutionary and the uniforms of 1900 are a continuation of 1899 but the story of earlier uniforms is even more difficult to develop and we will reserve that information for future additional research. An important finding of such research will be establishing the starting point of use of separate uniforms at home and on the road, which was standard for all major league teams by 1900. ... FABRIC PATTERNS AND COLORS. Home uniforms for all clubs at the turn of the century were white, while road uniforms were either gray or a darker hue. The material itself was heavy wool flannel which must have been insufferably warm in mid-summer. Pin striping in the fabric first appeared around 1907 — a fine, narrowly spaced line on the road grays that was barely visible from a distance. The Chicago Cubs were probably the first to use this pattern, but the Boston Nationals went a step further with a discernable green pin stripe on their 1907 road suits. The Brooklyn club was yet more daring with a fine blue “cross-hatch” pattern on their ‘07 road grays. This 'checked' effect would be used later by the New York Giants and again by Brooklyn (with wider spacing) on several occasions."
Baseball Almanac: Marc Okkonen

Home/Road 1909 New York

"Okkonen, a baseball historian and illustrator, has compiled the first complete record of 20th-century major league baseball uniforms. He provides a brief historical overview of major trends in uniform design, as well as an essay on each major league team which links uniform changes to team history. The bulk of the book is a year-by-year pictorial register covering the years 1900 to 1991. The text is clear and lively, but the graphics are so small it is difficult to discern color variations and patterns. The work's historical value would be greatly increased if descriptions of the uniforms were provided. Indexing is minimal. This is essential for collections specializing in baseball history, and useful for public libraries or where demand warrants." - Library Journal
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