Photo by Jim Sneed from the collection of Andy Yaffee

Chinaman Acrobat

Chinese acrobat acts are a tradition in the American circus since the late 1800s. The Chinese acrobat tradition goes back for centuries. The Schoenhut Chinaman acrobat followed one design throughout its life - a Chinese face (both 2-part and 1-part) with  a queue of early wooly material or later a  woven cloth material. 

Photo by Jim Sneed

Two-part head Chinaman acrobat, dowel neck

The very early Chinaman acrobats were made with a two-part head made much like the very early two-part-head clowns. Attached to the top of the head is a braided wool queue. The neck appears to have been made from a dowel. The eye pupils in at least some, if not all, of the two-part-head are not painted but appear to be a tiny applied piece of black paper. Keller Style I - Very Scarce

Photo by Judith Lile

Photo by Jim Sneed from the collection of Susan Turner

Photo by Judith Lile

Two-part head Chinaman acrobat, tapered neck

This two-part head example features a woven wool queue and a tapered neck. The face shape resembles the later two-part-head clowns face. Keller Style II -Very Scarce

Photo by Jim Sneed from the collection of Jim Sneed

One-part head Chinaman acrobat

Later, the Chinaman acrobat was produced with a one-part head, likely from the same molds as the one-part clown's head. His queue was made from woven cloth. 
Keller Style III - Scarce

Photo by Jim Sneed from the collection of Jim Sneed

This two-part head Chinaman acrobat features a woven queue.

Photo by Jim Sneed from the collection of Norman Cole

Early two-part heads