hobo clown
Sad circus tramp
A hobo clown is one of the three traditional clown archetypes in American circus and entertainment, characterized by tattered clothes, a stubbly beard, and a red nose suggesting drink.
Unlike the cheerful whiteface clown, the hobo clown plays a sympathetic down-on-his-luck character—ragged but dignified, finding humor in misfortune.
Emmett Kelly's "Weary Willie" became the iconic example.
The style emerged during the Depression era, drawing on the real figure of the American hobo.
- trampWandering homeless person
- vagabondHomeless, aimless wanderer
- down on luckExperiencing repeated misfortune
- circusTraveling entertainment with performers
- sadEmotionally low
baggy · patches · bindle · red nose · floppy shoes · freight train · makeup · stubble · torn clothes · tattered · melancholy · pratfall · slapstick · suspenders · fingerless gloves · oversized shoes · barrel · cardboard sign
- clownsbozo, sad face, painted smile, face paint, greasepaint
hobo clownPierrot
Wistful whiteface pantomime figure
court jester · harlequin · circus clown · whiteface · rodeo clown
hobo, hobos, clown, clowns, clowned, clowning, clownish, clownishly