The typical clown makeup consists of white makeup applied to the face and neck, completely covering the skin color.  The official name of this particular color white is “clown white”.  The next step in applying clown makeup is to apply a red outline roughly following the outlines of the mouth, but much wider.  This gives the clown his typical “clown smile”.  Add some color—again, red is a common choice—to the eyes.  Top it all off with a red nose, and the clown makeup is complete.

Of course, the clown makeup is just one part of the total clown effect.  Every bit as important as the clown makeup is the clown costume.  A brightly-colored wig, often with curly hair, is the first bit of the clown costume.  Many clowns choose to wear a hat on top, but nearly all at least wear a wig.  Bright suspenders are next, holding up oversized trousers.  Add an old tweed jacket and some very large shoes, and your clown costume is complete.

Clown makeup has been much the same for a hundred-and-fifty years.  The “whiteface” clown character, the most recognizable clown type, employs the stereotypical clown makeup.  Many “clowns” from different cultures around the world use similar clown makeup, though their clown costumes often differ wildly.  In America, what we would call the typical clown costume is that of the “hobo clown”.  This is a distinctly American creation, however.  European clowning focuses more on the harlequin traditions of clowning dating back to the middle ages.  Though the clown makeup in European clowning is similar—with darker colors replacing the bright reds that American clowns use—the clown costume is often very different.  Where Americans view clowns as lovable scamps, Europeans see clowns as other-worldly tricksters.  European clowns, to complement their austere clown costumes, often engage in magic tricks and dazzling feats of agility, where American clowns focus more on slapstick comedy.

It is interesting to note how little has changed in either clown makeup or clown costumes over the last hundred-and-fifty years in America.  Children in the Antebellum south delighted at the antics of lovable scamp clowns, the same as children do today.

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