Just added this image and caption to the 19th century timeline (first half). Reproductions of the picture are available here. 1839—London, England: A lithograph by George Scharf (the elder) entitled London Street Band includes a trombone (see below image; public…
drum iconography
Catchpenny Trombone
I mentioned a catchpenny print in an earlier post, although I didn’t explain the term. Historically, a catchpenny print is an inexpensively-produced image intended for the masses. A number of them contained military characters, including military musicians. Here is another catchpenny…
Rear-Facing Italian Trombone
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…
Awkwardly-Rendered Rear-Facing Trombone
I added the below entry and picture to the 19th century timeline (1st half) and to the HubPages article, Backward Advances: Rear-Facing Trombones throughout History. Although rear-facing trombones were common during the 19th century (see the many examples in the…
Pick That Thing Up and Play! 23 Trombone Paintings from the 17th Century Low Countries
The Trombone History Timeline features 23 paintings from the Low Countries within the short span of approximately 35 years (1606-c. 1640) that include trombone. They are similar and noteworthy in several respects. Several of the artists, most notably Rubens and…
Paper Serpents
As I mentioned in an earlier post on paper trombonists, an interesting little subset of music history images exists in the form of contemporary 19th-century military figurines. These figurines include military musicians, and, more specifically, serpent players. Although a number…
Paper Trombonists
The popular term paper tiger, indicating something that initially seems threatening but is in reality harmless, does not seem fitting for the trombone in general. If anything, the trombone is musically quite the reverse! There is, however, an interesting collection…
One Man Bands
Over the weekend I posted a just-for-fun article on HubPages—One Man Bands: The Ultimate Multi-Taskers. There isn’t a lot that’s trombone-related, although a couple of the images include low brass, both predecessors to the tuba: one picture with an ophicleide…
Trombone History: A Soldier I Will Be, Part 2
I’m told that more and more musicians in the job market are turning toward military bands as symphony orchestras struggle in the current financial climate. Interestingly enough, the history of the trombone in military bands actually goes back farther than…
Trombone History: Headed Both Ways
Added the below image and entry to the 19th Century Trombone History Timeline (first half). It is noteworthy because it appears to show both rear-facing and traditional trombones playing in the same ensemble. It also represents yet another rear-facing trombone…