The Auguste clown is the least intelligent, but probably the most beloved clown of all.

There is a commonly known legend about the origins of the Auguste clown. According to the legend, an American acrobat named Tom Belling was performing with a circus in Germany in 1869. Sent to his dressing room for missing his cues, he entertained his friends by putting on misfitting clothes to perform his impression of the show's manager. The manager burst in, Belling took off running, and ended up in the circus arena where he fell over the ring curb. In his embarrassment and haste to escape, he tripped over the ring curb again on his way out. The audience yelled, "auguste!" which was German for fool. So, the manager told Belling to continue appearing as the Auguste.

Most historians doubt that the legend is true, because the word Auguste didn't even exist in the German language until after the character became popular. But, characters like the Auguste certainly existed before. Whether or not he was the first, Belling was not very successful as an Auguste and soon left clowning to perform as a magician.

This is my first completely beaded doll form. The doll form and clay face were created by Carol Strand-Siebers. This doll was bead-embroidered using Czech size 13 charlottes, as well as size 11 seed beads. The jester's "hair" was created using natural turquoise chips.

This piece is currently part of a private collection.