The actor, comedian and dancer Joseph (Joe) Grimaldi was the best-known entertainer of the Regency era and is remembered for popularising and setting the template for modern clowns.
Born in London, Grimaldi came from a family of entertainers and made his first stage appearance at the age of just two-and-a-half as a dancer alongside his father in a pantomime at Sadler’s Well Theatre. He continued to perform in pantomimes at both Sadler’s Wells and Drury Lane throughout his childhood, before taking his first ‘legitimate’ acting role at Drury Lane in 1799. He made his first appearance as a clown the following year alongside John Baptist Dubois in an innovative pantomime called ‘Peter Wilkins, or, Harlequin in the Flying World’, which broke convention by featuring two clowns, rather than just one as was usual, and by introducing a new style of make-up (white faces with two red half-moons on the cheek) and multi-coloured costumes. By the end of the 1801 season Grimaldi had usurped Dubois as London’s leading clown, and during the course of his career he altered the role from that of a rustic fool into the star of metropolitan pantomime, transforming pantomime in the process into a respectable and fashionable theatrical form. Among his admirers were Lord Byron, the critic William Hazlitt and Charles Dickens who edited his memoirs.
With his successful performances at Sadler’s Wells and Covent Garden Theatre, as well as regional tours, Grimaldi acquired fame and large sums of money, although it rarely lasted owing to his improvidence and extravagant lifestyle. He made his final appearance in 1828, by now unable to stand owing to stiff joints and respiratory problems. He fell into poverty and depression, relying heavily on charity. Making light of his troubles, he remarked in his autobiography, “I make you laugh at night but am Grim-all-day”.
As well as having many images of Grimaldi, including a set of etchings by George Cruikshank and various theatrical prints, the Museum of London has one of his original costumes.