Buzz
Whether you adore them or are downright terrified, there's no mistaking a clown's look when they wear their signature red nose. This element has become a staple of the costume, but its origin is believed to trace back to a family of circus performers.
The Fratellinis were a family of performers; their father, Gustavo, was a trapeze artist, while his sons—Paul, François, and Albert—worked as clowns. After Louis, Paul's partner, passed away in 1909, the brothers formed a trio, each developing a distinct character: François, the dignified yet pompous clown, wore a white face; Albert—who originally played the contre-auguste, a role now simply called Auguste—adopted a more exaggerated look with dark brows and a red nose; and Paul blended both styles, using less makeup.
The Auguste clown eventually became a unique character in itself; typically the joker in the act, the eccentric figure who wears mismatched clothing and exaggerated features—including a vivid red nose. One of the most renowned clowns in history is said to have contributed to the development of the Auguste character.
After World War I, Lou Jacobs joined the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and embarked on a career as a clown, entertaining for six decades. His obituary in The New York Times described him as having a whiteface makeup with a huge, goofy grin, exaggerated eyebrows, and a nose the size of a plum, calling it the symbol of the Ringling circus, and suggesting he may have been the most famous clown alive at the time. (Incidentally, he is also credited with popularizing the iconic clown car!)
If there’s any doubt about Jacobs’ legacy, his costume—and the red nose in particular—became so iconic that in 1966, when his image was featured on a postage stamp, he became one of the first living people to receive such an honor. (Though often mistakenly believed to be the first, the actual first may have been the 1945 “Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima” stamp, which featured several still-living individuals.)
A legend about the red nose predates both the Fratellinis and Jacobs: In the 1860s, a German circus performer named Tom Belling, dressed in oversized clothes, was accidentally pushed into the ring. (The reasons for his attire and his entrance into the spotlight vary, but the result is consistent.) In one version of the story, Belling fell, injured his nose, and the crowd began chanting “auguste”—the German term for “fool.” Thus, the character of the Auguste clown, along with the signature red nose, was born.
While Belling’s tale presents the iconic clown image as an accidental creation, many view it more as a myth than historical fact. The true origin of the clown nose remains unclear, but its role in pop culture is undeniable. Clowns, with their bright red noses, have become as synonymous with the circus as the tents themselves.
