Joey the Clown plays an unfriendly trick on punch (1854)
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"Lives there a youth who has not yearn'd
To be, at least to dress, like Clown;
And up his trowser-ankles turn'd,
And of his mouth the corners down?
To do clown well - here's a good lesson - con it
Whiten your face, and stick red wafers on it."Joey was an affectionate nickname for Joseph Grimaldi and is still a slang name for clowns today.
Joey the Clown is a character in traditional Punch and Judy shows. He is pictured here in Grimaldi's iconic face make-up. As a friend of Mr. Punch, Joey the Clown is usually the only member of the cast not to be killed in the show.
Location: The Wonderful Drama of Punch and Judy and their Little Dog Toby, as performed to overflowing balconies at the corner of the street. By Papernose Woodensconce, Esq. (Robert Barabus Brough) with illustrations by "The Owl." London: H Ingram and Co, Milford House, Milford Lane, Strand. Parker Collection ApQ087.1/1854
