Dandies at the Ballpark

What, you ask, did the well-dressed gentleman wear to the ballpark in 1870? The sartorially inclined team outfitter might have turned to the lovely “New York Fashions” lithograph above for inspiration.

Tastes have changed — you won’t catch today’s big leaguers in baggy flannel — though not that much. The proto-hipster bearing the scarlet letter of the Brooklyn Atlantics (third from left) would fit in nicely in contemporary Williamsburg, what with his slouchy cap, mutton chops, and disaffected expression. The $13,000 this print pulled at auction this week, however, is probably out of range for the typical resident of that neighborhood. Something, anyway, to chew on.