Just as an experiment, I tried altering the order and direction of the rear two elements. In each case, except the correct order, there was a very small central area in focus, and nothing else. When the order and direction were correct, then everything looked in focus one the ground glass, out nearly to the edges. I only have one example of an image using my HB&H:
http://www.gordonmoat.com/life_20.html
and a closer cropped image at
http://www.gordonmoat.com/swops/GM_swop_16.jpg
A little tough to see on these small images, but the Petzval design is actually very sharp and crisp, at the plane of focus that the f3.4 aperture allows. Keep in mind this is a 2 seconds exposure, so a little tougher for a person to stand still. In my opinion, it would work better with a bit more distance between the subject and camera.
My suggestion to you as a next step is to shoot a few Polaroid tests at various focus distances. If you don't have a Polaroid back, then just burn a few pieces of film. Best of luck with this.
Ciao!
Gordon Moat Photography