Among the items from Joanne Perez’s estate which were sold in 2004-2005, was this intriguing lithograph of the Circo Parish Compania Internacional, Madrid, Spain. Presumably, this lithograph was one of the prized possessions of her husband, Pepito the Spanish Clown. According to old interviews, Pepito was with Circo Parish for five years. Exact dates are unknown, but it is known that Pepito immigrated to the United States in 1922, so his time with Circo Parish would have been prior to 1922.
In this photo of Pepito in his clown persona as Senor Hermhan (above), dated January 12, 1916 in Baza, Spain, which may have been taken while he was with Circo Parish, Pepito appears to possibly be a match the drawing of a tramp clown on the lower left of this Circo Parish lithograph. Note the circles of white greasepaint around the eyes and mouth, and the red nose and ears, which are a match to Pepito’s later makeups.
I speculate that Pepito pasted his eye shut with makeup to add to the tramp appearance. Remember, World War I was raging, and many people were facing deprivation or starvation. Did Pepito apply prosthethic makeup over his eye, or is it simply a scratched photo? You be the judge.
More history of the Circo Parish: http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jdw0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=90MDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7159,6863953&dq=circo+parish+madrid&hl=en
Pepito & Joanne 