Foot shaped Clown shoes
MediumLeather, wood
DimensionsLeft foot: 5 x 17 1/2 x 4 3/4 in. (12.7 x 44.5 x 12.1 cm)
Right foot: 4 7/8 x 17 1/4 x 4 7/8 in. (12.4 x 43.8 x 12.4 cm)
Right foot: 4 7/8 x 17 1/4 x 4 7/8 in. (12.4 x 43.8 x 12.4 cm)
ClassificationCostumes
Credit LineFound in collection
Object numberIN06.9068
Perhaps no single performer is as closely tied to the circus as the clown. Oversized shoes are the hallmark of the auguste and character clowns, who use far too small or way too large wardrobe to capture the audience’s attention. Also, the oversized footwear gives the clown that traditional, exaggerated gait that never fails to produce laughs. Not content to just oversize regular shoes, many clowns developed their own style of shoes ranging from huge bare feet with bright red toe nails, to long, pointed patent leathers, to webbed duck and chicken feet, all for the delight of the circus patron.
On View
Not on view
early 20th–late 20th Century
c.1930s and c. 1990s
c.1930s and c. 1990s
