[Merkle923]

A fascinating piece in the November Hunt Auction - a 22" by 25" display of photos of the Washington American League team: 20 small portraits to the waist, in ovals, one large center portrait marked "1904."

1904 would be a good guess - that big picture in the middle looks like Patsy Donovan, the underrated 17-year outfielder who managed the Washington's from May 11, 1904 through the end of the season - and the catcher in the second row, second from the right, sure looks like the equally superannuated Malachi Kittridge (who started the season as player-manager). Right above him would seem to be fellow catcher Boileryard Clarke, who was in Washington from 1901 through 1904.

The problem is the uniforms.

Those ones with the ornate, almost spiked "W's" (top row, upper left) can date only to the 1903 season, but from the franchise's start, the serifed thick block letter "W" unis were, per Okkonen's authoritative guide on the subject, only worn in the road uniforms of 1905 and 1911- and not again until 1938 (there is a block letter "W" home uniform from 1902, but it's sans serif, and worn over an outlined chest pocket no less).

Just to ratchet up the mystery, of course - no ID's. Happy Hunting.