One of the most famous and popular Augustes (see below) in
Britain was Coco the Clown. Born in Russia he arrived in England
in 1929 to join Bertram
Mills’ Circus. He continued performing in the UK until the
1960s. Coco’s trademark costume included oversize boots and
a baggy checked suit. His make up included exaggerated raised
eyebrows and an oversize nose. Coco became famous on television
for a road safety campaign for children in the 1960s.
Early circuses had equestrian clowns who would perform crazy
tricks on and off horseback. Dickie Usher and Tom
Barry who rode down the Thames in a washtub drawn by four
geese, were favourite London clowns in the early 19th century.
Another popular Victorian clown was Whimsical Walker. Famous
for his animal acts he taught a donkey called Tom to sing to
the accompaniment of toy bagpipes, a trombone and a violin.
He had to keep changing the instrument because the donkey soon
became bored and would refuse to sing. Walker performed at all
the famous circuses and toured the USA with
Barnum and Bailey’s Circus. This is the costume he wore in a performance for Queen Victoria
at Windsor Castle on 25 February 1886.
One of the most famous 19th century British clowns was Grimaldi,
who was a pantomime star and never appeared in a circus.
There are traditionally two types of clown in the circus, the
White-Faced Clown and the Auguste.
The White-Faced clowns are descendants of the
Pierrot clowns of Commedia
dell’arte. They wear a traditional clown’s costume of a
pointed hat, shaped like a cone, and a white suit covered with
sequins. They wear white make-up and their facial expressions
are drawn with red or black greasepaint. They have good manners
and are clever, often playing tricks to exploit the stupidity
of the Auguste.
Augustes were originally assistants to and foils for the White-Face
clowns. They wear untidy, baggy clothes and big boots. Augustes
are always getting into trouble and making mistakes. They trip
up, have buckets of water thrown at them, and get told off by
the White-Faced clowns.
Introduction
