In 1888 the uniforms were more simple or more “traditional”; white uniforms, brown lettering, brown trimmed hats, brown socks. Tobacco card photographs from this season show simple lettering across the chest and white caps that have brown stripes.

A discovery by Craig Brown at ThreadsofOurGame.com revealed that the team photo of the Browns featuring two dogs could be the team wearing World Series uniforms. A newspaper article describes this uniforms as have red trim.

1888 St. Louis Browns jersey lettering
1888 St. Louis Browns Team Photo
1888 St. Louis Browns team photo
1888 Charles Comiskey
1888 CC King
1888 James Chippy McCarr
1888 Jack Boyle
1888 Jocko Milligan
188 Jocko Milligan… Goodwin & Company Milligan, Catcher, St. Louis Browns, from the series Old Judge Cigarettes, 1888 American, Albumen print photograph, cabinet card; sheet: 6 1/2 x 4 3/8 in. (16.5 x 11.1 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, The Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, Gift of Jefferson R. Burdick (63.350.214.173.132) http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/400349
1888 Charlie Comiskey Arlie Latham lithograph from Harper’s Weekly, October 27, 1888
1888 St. Louis Browns Pendant, research from John Thorn, https://ourgame.mlblogs.com/the-original-world-series-c47baa1898b3

Newspaper Accounts

St. Paul Globe: March 25, 1888
SOME CHANGES MADE BY NEARLY ALL OF THE CLUBS…
…The St. Louis Browns have not changed their uniform.

Thanks to Matt Albertson from Philly chapter of SABR who pointed out that this newspaper article is from March, which would have been in Spring Training, and is likely the Browns were still wearing their 1887 uniforms before the start of the 1888 season.

The Plain Dealer: April 1, 1888
CHANGES IN UNIFORMS…
The St. Louis Browns will be dressed as they were last season, in suits in which the stockings and belts are brown and the shirts and caps of brown and white stripes. With the suit will go the old scarlet jackets. 

St Louis Post Dispatch: September 11, 1888
Grand Stand Chat.
The Browns look very natty in the handsome new suits presented them in Philadelphia by President Von der Ahe.

Chicago Tribune: September 13, 1888
The St. Louis Browns have been measured for new uniforms. They will wear them in the world’s championship series.

St. Louis Globe Democrat: October 17, 1888
The Browns appeared in new suits of white flannel, with red trimmings and brown stockings. The Giants wore their tight-fitting black knit suits, with white trimmings. 

Team Colors

Brown – PMS 732

Off-White Fabric – CMYK: 1/2/3/0

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