Welcome to my circus!

This will be a page were I write down my knowledge on clowns, their origins, old and new depictions, etc...

Clowning and its origins

 A clown is someone who performs physical comedy as a form of art, usually while wearing distinct makeup or outfit. Said comedy is present in the medium of pantomimes and exaggerated antincs. The earliest registered clowns were reffered to as "Pygmies" and came from Ancient Egypt, dating back to around 2400 BC. Early clowns could also be associated with religious and magical beliefs (which leads to both old and new ritual clowns). Over the centuries, multiple types of clowns were introduced and to this day they're still relevant to our society. *Ritual clown, Jester, Buoffoon, Arlecchino, Pierrot, Mime, Whiteface, Auguste, Hobo, and Tramp.

2400 BC

Pygmies
 The pygmies consisted of individuals with nanism and of lower classes, often originating from neighboring African countries to Egypt. The pygmy dressed up as Egyptian deitys, gods, and mythological creatures, and they were reffered to as such during court, were they would re-enact myths in some sort of theater play. They were dressed with a variety animal masks and skins, and their "outlying physical traits" were seen as comedic and as an addition to the stories presented. Over time, their roles blurred with those of Egyptian priests, as they often performed religious stories and rites that held spiritual significance for the courts of the pharaohs. The first concept of a circus is also believed to have originated during the ancient Egyptian Empire.

1200s

1300s

1400s

1500s

1600s

1700s

1800s

Whiteface
First introduced by Joseph Grimaldi in 1801,

Blackface Minstrel
 The beginning of minstrels originated roughly in the 1830s, when Thomas “Daddy” Rice introduced a blackface act that became popular after he presented it in New York's Bowery Theater. Supposedly, Rices act was an imitation of a song and dance he saw performed by a disabled African American boy named Jim Crow. Rice later created the Minstrel performance together of Dan Emmett and George Christy. Minstrel clowns were at first incorporated into the regular circus performances, however, in the 1840’s, the Minstrel Show was separated from the circus show itself, and was usually present as an extra performance were viewers could pay more to watch. Those shows consisted of a semicircle of performers in blackface in which the first part of the show was jokes between Mr. Interlocutor and the endmen, mixed with songs, dances, skits and speeches imitating black oratory. The second part was often a parody of high art such as a play by Shakespeare. Minstrels also hasan influence in the creation of tramps/hobo/vagabond and modern circus clowns.

1900s

"Scary" clowns
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2000s

Medical clowns
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Sources

Blackface Minstrel
charliethejugglingclown
jimcrowmuseum
Researchlibrary

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