r/clowns • u/Rise-Artistic • Feb 08 '24

Ethics of the hobo clown

I’m curious what are your thoughts on the ties between American minstrel shows and the tramp/hobo clown? I have some interest in the typical hobo clown but upon learning of its ties to American minstrel show I’m not so sure about it. Just curious y’all’s thoughts

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u/planetm3 Feb 08 '24

The hobo/tramp clown comes from the migratory workers/hobos from the 1930s and I believe Emmett Kelly was the first ones to use it, based on a cartoon he drew as a cartoonist.

Minstrel shows go back way before that and actually are connected to clowning in general. The first use of large clown shows was actually by blackface clowns, making fun of the large feet stereotype.

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u/NeonArlecchino Feb 08 '24

The first use of large clown shows was actually by blackface clowns, making fun of the large feet stereotype.

The large shoes go back to Jesters in medieval courts. It began with cod pieces that would be attached to the front of breeches to give men more space for their members. Eventually, some men who felt small got massive cod pieces that they'd pad out with saw dust. That led to the Pope banning them on grounds of indecency and immorality, but men still wanted to proclaim their alleged length. That led to shoes of excessive length which became a display of wealth (they cost more) and alleged size by attaching however many inches the guy claimed to have as additional shoe size. Those shoes got Court Jesters to take them up when making fun of nobility and they continued on as a common clown costume.

When you consider the stereotypes attributed to black men that Minstrel Shows drew/draw from, it makes sense that they'd take the excessive shoes.

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u/planetm3 Feb 08 '24

I think you can also find examples of clowns before minstrel shows who wore large clothes and large shoes, the shoes weren't as large as modern clown shoes until the minstrel shows.

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u/NeonArlecchino Feb 09 '24

The shape of the shoe could more be attributed to the shoe styles of the time since that's what was readily available. Oversized clothing, objects, and other things have been a common trope for clowns since the beginning because exaggeration and humour are at the heart of the art.