George Browne T206 Uniform Mystery

[Scott]

I have been creating a document which shows all the T206 images by team. George Browne has 2 cards but both show the same image--one card lists him with Chicago-National and the other Washington-American. Both cards have his name listed as G. Brown (no "e" at the end of his last name). He is shown (see picture below) wearing what appears to be a grey uniform, brownish belt, and maroon undershirt (like a turtleneck).

My problem is that the uniform he is shown in on the T206 cards does not appear to be either the Cubs or the Nationals. If you put his card along side all the other Cubs T206's or all the other Nationals T206's it really stands out as not matching the uniforms. I then checked to see what other teams he may have played for and came up with the following for the approximate T206 production era years:

1908 - Boston Doves
1909 - Chicago Cubs
1909 - Washington Nationals
1910 - Washington Nationals
1910 - Chicago White Sox
1911 - Newark Indians
1911 - Brooklyn Superbas
1912 - Philadelphia Phillies
1913 - Chicago Keeleys
1913 - Scranton Miners
1913 - Minneapolis Millers

The only team uniform that looks somewhat similar to the one Browne wears in his T206 card is the Minneapolis Millers uniform--see pics below (similar collar to the one worn by Collins and Pickering in their T206 cards and similar cuffs to the cuffs shown on Cravath's T206 card--but Browne's hat doesn't seem to match the Millers hats). Since Browne didn't play with Minneapolis until 1913, I thought that might be too late for a T206 image.

So......I am left with 3 options to consider in trying to figure out what uniform Browne is wearing in his T206 card:

1) it's from either the Cubs or Nats and could possibly be a road uniform (even though it doesn't match with any of those teams' players' T206 cards and the red undershirt doesn't match those teams' colors)

2) it's from the Minneapolis Millers which means the uniform he is wearing is from 1913 (after T206 card production)

3) it's from another team.

Can any of the uniform and/or T206 experts shed some light on this mystery?

Many thanks in advance!!

[btcarfagno]

My best guess would be Boston road uniform from 1908. The maroon would suggest that. Though what the deal is with the hat is anyone's guess. Looks a bit like he just stepped off a battlefield in Gettysburg.

Tom C

[ethicsprof]

very interesting research. I need to incubate this a bit.
Tom, I have a painting of my great great grandfather in his civil war uniform and his cap does look a bit like Browne's!! Funny stuff.
all the best,
barry

[wolf441]

Walter Johnson from 1910. I would think that it has to be Washington as that card was issued first and they didn't update the uni's (same deal with the Kleinow catching)

[spec]

Scott,
It is my understanding that the photographs used to create T206s were taken in 1908 or earlier, thus Browne's image likely had him wearing the livery of the Boston, New York or Philadelphia NL teams. The coloring was supplied by the artist who created the painting used based on his knowledge or imagination since the images he used were surely black and white. Comparing the uniform to other T206s is not likely to be fruitful since the photographic origin of those was also earlier than 1909, so Collins, Pickering and Cravath, for instance, were likely wearing uniforms from their previous MLB stops.

Originally Posted by Scott

I have been creating a document which shows all the T206 images by team. George Browne has 2 cards but both show the same image--one card lists him with Chicago-National and the other Washington-American. Both cards have his name listed as G. Brown (no "e" at the end of his last name). He is shown (see picture below) wearing what appears to be a grey uniform, brownish belt, and maroon undershirt (like a turtleneck).

My problem is that the uniform he is shown in on the T206 cards does not appear to be either the Cubs or the Nationals. If you put his card along side all the other Cubs T206's or all the other Nationals T206's it really stands out as not matching the uniforms. I then checked to see what other teams he may have played for and came up with the following for the approximate T206 production era years:

1908 - Boston Doves
1909 - Chicago Cubs
1909 - Washington Nationals
1910 - Washington Nationals
1910 - Chicago White Sox
1911 - Newark Indians
1911 - Brooklyn Superbas
1912 - Philadelphia Phillies
1913 - Chicago Keeleys
1913 - Scranton Miners
1913 - Minneapolis Millers

The only team uniform that looks somewhat similar to the one Browne wears in his T206 card is the Minneapolis Millers uniform--see pics below (similar collar to the one worn by Collins and Pickering in their T206 cards and similar cuffs to the cuffs shown on Cravath's T206 card--but Browne's hat doesn't seem to match the Millers hats). Since Browne didn't play with Minneapolis until 1913, I thought that might be too late for a T206 image.

So......I am left with 3 options to consider in trying to figure out what uniform Browne is wearing in his T206 card:

1) it's from either the Cubs or Nats and could possibly be a road uniform (even though it doesn't match with any of those teams' players' T206 cards and the red undershirt doesn't match those teams' colors)

2) it's from the Minneapolis Millers which means the uniform he is wearing is from 1913 (after T206 card production)

3) it's from another team.

Can any of the uniform and/or T206 experts shed some light on this mystery?

Many thanks in advance!!