Brief History of Clowns

Many books have been written about the history of clowns. I certainly find the subject interesting because, well, I am one and I love it. The word "clown" itself is most likely from the word for clumsy that surfaced around 1560AD in Iceland (klunni), Sweden (kluns) and North Frisia / Germany (klonne). Showing up in the English language as "clown" in the early 1900s.

Ancient clowns seems to track back to roughly 2400BC in Egypt was a man called "Danga". Hailing from a tribe of pygmies, Danga entertained the royal family.

After Egypt clown can be traced to ancient Greece and Italy. Later Cortez found clowns amongst the Aztecs in the 1520s. The Italian Renaissance brought several clowns in roving theatre groups called Commedia del Arté, among the were Pierrot and Harlequin. The former being the predecessor to pantomime and the latter the predecessor of slapstick.

American Indian found that clowns aided in curing certain maladies such as lowering blood pressure, muscular relaxation along with releasing stress reducing chemicals and virus-fighters.

By the late-middle ages, clowns were part of the royal court staff as Court Jesters and given the freedom to answer back to anyone in authority without fear of punishment. Imagine that! Maybe our President wants to spend the day with me so I can say a thing or two about job creation.

The make-up you now know as clowns today was created by English actor Joseph Grimaldi (1778-1837) by using whiteface makeup over his face, neck and chest. It was later popularized in the US by George L. Fox who used Grimaldi for inspiration.

Later in the mid-late 1800s, the "Auguste" clown saw a birth in Germany with oversized clothes and looking foolish and confused. While around the same time, the tramp or hobo clown developed in the US after the American Civil War. The latter was inspired by the homeless and migratory workers of that time who roamed America on the trains.

History does not record women in clowning until 1858 then only a handful are mentioned. The first female clown was Amelia Butler who toured with the Nixon’s Great American Circus. Amelia was the last women clown in the American circus for almost twenty years. But it wasn't until the 70s that clowns showed their feminine side with bloomers and petticoats.

Although clowns are notoriously noted for being funny and their silly antics, clowns have skills in order to be employable.

Clowning is a serious business, even if it's all about the fun. The ability to turn the room into a bundle of positive energy is no easy task. At Annabel's Entertainment we love what we do and we what we love - create fun and make sure a good time is had by all.

Hugs and Kisses,
Annabel TheClown