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Impish face, corner crease
The earliest clowns had two-part heads. The faces were painted much
like those of the Humpty Dumpty troupe performers. Note the detail of
the eyes. The forehead is smooth. The smile is strongly "U"
shaped - that charming impish look.
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No corner crease
The second face design on the two-part head was the same as the
first but the corner eye crease is absent. Also, the clown's smile seems
to be a bit less impish.
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Big eyes
The third face design was the same as the second except that the eye
design was changed once again. The eye was made bigger while the lines
that define the upper and lower lids were curved around the eye. The
black forehead marks were moved closer to the sides. The mold was
changed to have a raised area where the forehead black and center red
marks were placed.
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One-part head
The one-part head clown used the same face
design as the later two-part heads. The entire head, however, was made
from a single piece of turned wood. The face design was impressed in the
wood head using a high pressure die system that permanently deformed the
face. Some heads may have been molded composition. Our crack sleuths are
investigating.
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