Here’s a rear-facing trombone from Italy that I just added to the 19th-century timeline (1st half) and will shortly be adding to the HubPages article, Backward Advances: Rear-Facing Trombones throughout History. If visual depictions are any indication at all, rear-facing trombones were surprisingly prominent in the 19th century.
1821—Italy: A depiction of musicians from the Italian grenadiers includes a trombonist with a rear-facing instrument (see facing image; public domain) (Melegari 147).
Jon
Another great picture! I’d never seen a rear-facing trombone before!
Trombone Tube
Wow, I have never seen such a horn before. Do these still exist in private collections? There must be a reason why the bell faces to the rear 🙂
wkimball
Yes, there are some in museum collections. For a couple of links, plus a bunch more images, see this HubPages article: Backward Advances: Rear-Facing Trombones Throughout History.