If so, what kind? There are three basic types—whiteface, auguste and character.
A recognizable contemporary whiteface clown might be “Puddles,” a tall, imposing clown who sings weepy power ballads and does some physical comedy and mimed tragicomic drama. Puddles’ outfit—a loose, flowing tunic with big buttons and ruffled collar—recalls the Pierrot costume from the Italian commedia dell’arte traditions of the 16th and 17th century, widely accepted as the progenitor of modern clowning. His face is painted white with bold eyebrows, teardrops and red mouth accents—classic whiteface.
Bozo the Clown is a readily recognizable auguste from my generation. An auguste often has flesh-tone skin with exaggerated features (big red nose, painted mouth and bushy blue eyebrows in Bozo’s case) rather than full whiteface. The auguste's clown suit augers more toward the playful than the elegant, and the mannerisms tend to be silly and bumbling, geared toward children’s humor rather than, for instance, the pathos of Puddles’ Pity Party.
Thirdly, we have the character clown. Character clowns are commonly recognizable archetypes like policemen, doctors, chefs or hobos. One of the best-known character clowns is Emmet Kelly, the sad and downtrodden “everyman.” He has shabby clothes, oversized shoes, a floppy hat and a painted-on, downturned mouth. There’s also a happy version of Kelly’s hobo/tramp character, most famously manifest in Red Skelton’s Freddy the Freeloader.
There are other clown types, of course, but most are derived in some way from these three basic categories. There is always of course, the “elected official” clown, an often malevolent actor for whom we have no one to blame but ourselves.
