A friend of mine, Ken Shifrin, recently emailed me with a historical question about valve trombone images. As a result, I put this little collection together. I have a few others I will be posting as I get more complete…
military uniforms
Dutch Trombonist on Horseback
Added the below image (just the detail) and its caption to the 19th century timeline (first half). I will also be adding it to the HubPages article, Backward Advances: Rear-Facing Trombones Throughout History, which already has some 36 visual examples….
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…
Serpent on the Wall
Just added the below caption and image to the post, Serpent & Ophicleide: History and Images. 1812—Paris, France: Carle Vernet, a leading French military artist, is commissioned to provide paintings of Napoleon’s new military uniforms for use by the military…
Serpent & Ophicleide: History and Images
I recently came across two humorous ophicleide images from 19th century France (1847 and 1862, below) while doing some trombone history research. The ophicleide, by the way, is a fellow low brass instrument—a 19th century invention that is considered a…
2 French Rear-facing Trombones
Added the following 2 entries to the Trombone History Timeline: 19th century (first half). Iconography seems to suggest that the rear-facing trombone was quite common in the early 19th century. It’s noteworthy, also, that they’re both depictions of dances (see…
Missing Something? Bell-less Trombones in Art
The slide is one of the most identifiable visual characteristics of the trombone in artwork. However, when a slide turns up without a bell, it can be problematic. Could it still be a trombone? Are we trying too hard to…
Hi Ho, Brass! Trombones on Horseback
Ever tried playing the trombone on horseback? A pretty contorted affair, one would think. There are, however, several visual depictions throughout trombone history of trombonists on horseback. I recently added one such image of a military musician to the 19th…
Kilts in the Military: Not Just for Bagpipers
Added the below image/entry to the 19th century timeline (2nd half). The image is related to a fairly large set of military images from the 19th and 20th centuries, many of which contain trombones. c. 1885—Scotland: Military musicians from the…
Headed Backward: Historical Images of Rear-Facing Trombones
I have recently added three more images to the Trombone History Timeline that feature rear-facing trombones. These trombones have sometimes been called over-the-shoulder instruments, a term that works for other brass instruments but is somewhat lacking for trombones: aren’t all…