Lou Jacobs

Johann Ludwig Jacob (better known by his stage name, Lou Jacobs) (January 1, 1903 – September 13, 1992) was an auguste clown who performed for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus for more than 60 years. He was inducted into the International Clown Hall of Fame in 1989. He is credited with popularizing the clown car, which has been a staple of circus clown acts ever since. He is also often cited as the originator of the red rubber ball nose, which is used by many clowns today. He was the first living person to have his portrait appear on an American postage stamp.

Lou Jacobs was born on January 1, 1903 in Bremerhaven, Germany. His parents were a song and dance team. Lou was the youngest of their nine children. His original name was Jacob Ludwig. He broke into show business at age seven at a variety hall in Bremen, Germany. In his first performance, he played the hindquarters of an alligator, while his brother played the head and forefeet. He posed as a cherub in a living statue display. At age 11, Lou saw his first clown act and desired to pursue clowning, but his father disapproved. Mr. Ludwig apprenticed Lou to a hand balancer and a tumbler in hopes that this would keep him away from clowning. He went on to study acrobatics, barrel jumping, and contortion techniques after school and at nights.

In 1923, Lou Jacobs came to the U. S. on a steamship. His older brother Karl, had already made it to the U. S. and worked in the Keith Orpheum Theater as a contortionist. He saved up $150.00 to pay for his brother’s boat fare. When Jacobs arrived in New York, he had only two dollars and could not speak English. Yet, he landed a part in a Belgian acrobatic act that paid $25.00 a week. After almost two years of performing in fairs, outdoor exhibits, and winter vaudeville, Jacobs teamed up with Michael Morris, a British contortionist in late 1924. They did a comedy act that satirized the trapeze acts, a broomstick was their “trapeze.”

Fortunately for Jacobs, Morris had a contract with Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. Morris was able to bring him into the circus with his act for the 1925 campaign. As the year progressed, Jacobs spent more time with the clowns. He eventually got into costume and makeup and worked in some of the production numbers. Starting out as a whiteface clown, he changed to an auguste (clown that has white just around the mouth and eyes) after John Ringling gave him a full-time position as a clown in the 1926 campaign. Jacobs wasted no time in developing his costume. It was a checkered pink and lavender suit with baggy pants and a 12-inch-high (300 mm) collar. He wore big shoes and carried a small umbrella attached to a 10-foot (3.0 m) handle.

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