Help date this Tufts baseball cabinet team photo - 1880s to 1890s?

[T206Jim]

Please help me date this Tufts team photo. The photo itself is about 4 x 5 and I believe it is albumen. It is very thin and firmly affixed to the green mount, if you angle it back and forth it exhibits a pinkish hue.

I believe the photo depicts players from then Tufts College, now Tufts University, near Boston. In the enlarged portion of the photo you can better see the uniform and equipment details. Notice the quilted pants, cage style catcher's mask, thick handled bats, painter's brim caps, wide belts and boldly striped long sleeve undershirt. It seems unusual to see one taken in the field and not in studio or by a building.

Anyone care to hazard a guess as to age or content? My guess is 1880s to 1890s.

[Leon]

1895-1905 is my guess....

[Dto7]

Could start looking here.

http://dl.tufts.edu/catalog?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=baseball&search_field=all_fields

[Lordstan]

While no expert on Tufts baseball, I have to wonder if this is the Tufts University team or a local team. The reason I think this is that I looked through all the turn of the century to 1930 photos on the Tufts' website Don linked to and notice that none of the uniforms, in any picture, match the one posted above. In the one above, the Tufts name is very arched with the last S almost down to the waistline. In most of the photos in the archives, the name is either gently arched or straight across, with the oldest photos just having the single letter T on the chest.
I didn't go through and try to match any faces, but I think that might be the next step.

[Huysmans]

Hey Jim, looking at the quilted pants and what appears to be a webless workman's glove, I'd say very late 1890's. Cool photo.

[vintagesportscollector]

Others may have seen this, as it is the first image that pops up when you google Tufts Baseball 1890, but this colorized photo is gorgeous...and love the dog!

http://www.reddit.com/r/ColorizedHistory/comments/1kt8uk/tufts_university_baseball_team_studio_portrait/

174619

[Runscott]

1900-1905

The glove has more of a 1905-ish shape and from that image I can't tell whether or not it has a web. I wouldn't be startled if it was as old as 1895.

[T206Jim]

All excellent points and the Tufts link is a great resource.

Although I have seen shots with Tufts rounded this is most extreme example I have seen. The question also occurred to me whether this is a Tufts sponsored team or a student formed team.

The 1890 photo is interesting, looking at a b/w version online, there are similarities with the cap and striped undershirt and the quilted pants on one 1890 player. Is it possible that the man on the top far right is the same man, sans mustache, as the one on the far top left of the 1890 photo?

Interesting to speculate on though. I'll send a copy to Tufts athletics and see if they have any insight.

[vintagesportscollector]

At first I thought the glove on the guy to the far left in the second row had a web, which would put it later than in 1890...but they colored his thumb the same as the glove making it look like a web. Adds nothing to this conversation :rolleyes:, but I found that interesting.

174687

[vintagesportscollector]

Also worth noting may be the number of players. Not surprising that an unofficial team would only have the minimum number of 9 players, while the official Tufts team would have more, with subs.