1936 Albany Senators Ballcaps
The most fun part about doing any kind of ballcap reproductions is the research. Albany Senators stuff is especially fun because they seemed to change up their uniforms almost every year. For this particular ballcap, my research really came down to three photos. In those photos, we can see this ballcap on four different heads, from four different angles.
The first is this photo of pitcher Bobby Burke. He only played for the Senators for two years, 1935 and 1936. This particular photo is stamped 1936 on the back, so it's a pretty safe bet that that's when it was taken. This was the first picture I had ever seen of this particular uniform, and it wasn't really enough to be able to create an accurate reproduction from. At this point, my best guess was that it was a cream-colored ballcap with a navy visor. Black and white photos are tough though... could that have been a black visor? Sure, it's possible. I've seen enough Senators uniforms to know that blue and red were nearly constant though, so navy just seems more likely. To be completely honest, someone would need to hand me an original of one of these hats to convince me otherwise. If you have one and would like to prove me wrong, by all means, please do. The photo got tucked away into the archives, where it stayed until I came across photo #2.
The second photo of this ballcap was of professional baseball scout Joe "Papa Joe" Cambria, shaking hands with then mayor John Boyd Thacher II. Thacher is seen wearing the cap, along with a second person in the background of the photo. It wasn't until I looked closely at this one that I even realized the cap had pinstripes. Awesome. Fortunately, background guy had his head tilted at just the right angle to really get a good look at the emblem on the front. He's also the reason that I was able to confirm the contrasting button on the top of the cap, as well at the non-contrasting eyelets. Background guy, whoever you are, thank you for looking down as this photo was being taken. I owe you a beer if you're still alive.
I also came across the third photo online, but I don't actually own the original... that still counts, right? Not gonna lie, I don't even remember who this is. Totally forgot to document that when I found it. I guess I was a little too excited about finding such a perfect head-on shot of the emblem.
I guess that's it for research really. I recreated the emblem on the front, and sent them into production at Ebbets Field Flannels. I was pleased to realize that EFF doesn't even offer a cream wool with black pinstripes, so on the off chance that they were supposed to be cream and black, I still selected the closest option. If you've got additional photos of this cap, information to share, or questions to ask, use the contact info in the footer here. Let's talk.
There are more (drastically different) Senators caps coming very soon, so keep your eyes peeled for those. If you've got any interesting photos of Senators uniforms throughout the years, send them my way - I'd love to see them!
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