German Chancellor Serenades with Trombone

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Just added the below image and caption to the Trombone History Timeline (19th Century—2nd half). Another 19th century trombone image using humor/satire.   1870-71—Paris, France: A satirical lithograph by caricaturist De La Tramblais shows German Emperor Wilhelm I and Otto von Bismarck with a guitar and trombone, respectively, serenading an obviously unreceptive woman (see below [...]

Melody for 200 Trombones: Caricatures by J.J. Grandville

Grandville steam

I recently added some images by J. J. Grandville (1803-1847; original name: Jean-Ignace-Isidore Gérard), a famous French caricaturist who frequently portrays musical subjects, to the 19th century timeline (1st half). The four Grandville images that include trombone, shown below, represent something of a shift in iconography, and perhaps the way trombone is seen by the [...]

Trombone Saves Man’s Life

story cheeks

Just added this touching story to the 19th century timeline (2nd half): 1875—New York: Harper’s Magazine publishes a humorous fictional piece, “The Story of a Trombone,” with illustrations by Charles Reinhardt. The story is about a man who lives below a French trombonist whose practicing has become an annoyance. “It is not to be endured,” [...]

Bassoonist Does Battle

Anonymous 19th-century engraving

Another off-topic post, again about an image that I couldn’t pass up from Cassin-Scott and Fabb’s Military Bands and Their Uniforms (London: Blandford Press, 1978): We occasionally hear stories about military musicians pressed into actual combat situations. This picture, a 19th century engraving, captures a French bassoonist getting creative in order to hold off a [...]

Trombone History: Pair of Early Circus Posters

I continue to add to the 19th century timeline (2nd half). Over the weekend I added a pair of circus posters, both of them highlighting musicians. The first one, from Ringling Brothers, shows a large band with 10 trombones. The second, from Barnum & Bailey, features a small clown band as the focus of the image, [...]

Head of a Dragon, Body of a Trombone

dragon-bone

Added another image to the 19th century timeline. This one, a print from France’s L’Illustration, features a buccin, or trombone with a bell in the shape of a dragon head (see 1873, below). The instrument apparently saw its creation and heyday in the 19th century (1st half, 2nd half), fizzling out in the 20th century. Kind [...]

Trombone Images from 19th Century London Newspapers

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I have recently added quite a few trombone images to the 19th century timeline (1st half, 2nd half). Many of them originate from London. Collected below are all the pictures from the 19th century timeline that come from London. As it turns out, they are all from newspapers. Several are humorous in nature. A couple [...]

Another Circus/Clown Trombone Image

Added a trombone image to the 19th century timeline (2nd half). It’s quite a colorful poster, another image related to the circus/clown theme in trombone history that seems to comprise a trend in the late 19th century (see earlier post). This type of art (i.e., the circus/clown theme) appears to be centered in France, although [...]

19th Century Trombone Images: A Painting, A Postcard, and Two Posters

Added several images to the 19th century Trombone History Timeline (2nd half). I don’t know that there’s really any overarching theme here, unless perhaps it’s humor. c. 1855—Artist Albert Kindler includes a trombonist in his painting After the Wedding. The trombonist stands in the musicians’ boat in the background (see below detail and full image; [...]

Circus Musicians: At Least They Have a Gig!

Pelez musicians

I recently added a painting, Fernand Pelez’s Grimaces and Misery, to the 19th century timeline (2nd half). Dating from 1888, it is an exact contemporary of Georges Seurat’s Parade de cirque (which I’ve also included below). Although there are obvious stylistic differences, the similarities in subject matter of the two paintings have been noted by [...]