Joseph Grimaldi is shown in this print as 'Clown' in Harlequin and Friar Bacon; or, The Brazen Head, a pantomime with text by Charles Farley, author of numerous pantomimes.
It premiered on December 26,1820, at Covent Garden and was reviewd by the London Literary Gazette, 'though inferior to the most popular things of this sort, Harlequin and Friar Bacon displays some magnificence, two or three good tricks, a fine pantomimic scene and the incomparable clowning of Grimaldi'.
Grimaldi (1778-1837) was a famous clown of the early nineteenth century who popularised pantomime and introduced the clown to a modern audience.
