page_title: Emmett Kelly
hierarchical_section_title: Emmett Kelly
caption_attribution_description: Photo of Emmett Kelly with Ringling Bros. Barnum &amp; Bailey Circus. The photo was taken for an ad for the Pan-American Coffee Bureau.
context_page_description: Emmett Leo Kelly was an American circus performer, who created the clown figure "Weary Willie", based on the hobos of the Great Depression in the 1930s. According to Charles W. Carey, Jr.:
  Kelly’s creation of Weary Willie revolutionized professional clowning and made him the country’s most familiar clown. The sad-sack, shuffling antics of his unkempt, downtrodden hobo offered a complete contrast to the madcap cavorting of brightly colored, white-faced conventional clowns and has served as an alternate model for professional clowns ever since.
context_section_description: Emmett Leo Kelly (December 9, 1898 – March 28, 1979) was an American circus performer, who created the clown figure "Weary Willie", based on the hobos of the Great Depression in the 1930s. According to Charles W. Carey, Jr.:
  Kelly’s creation of Weary Willie revolutionized professional clowning and made him the country’s most familiar clown. The sad-sack, shuffling antics of his unkempt, downtrodden hobo offered a complete contrast to the madcap cavorting of brightly colored, white-faced conventional clowns and has served as an alternate model for professional clowns ever since.
caption: Kelly ca. 1953
exif: {}