The Clown Egg Register

For clown lovers and art lovers alike, the only collection of clown faces painted on eggs anywhere in the worldThe Clown Egg Register is a unique record of over three hundred and fifty clown faces, each one painted on to an egg. The eggs act as copyright for a clown's personal visual identity, preserving the unwritten rule that a clown must never copy the face of another. It is a tradition that began in the United Kingdom in the 1940s at Clowns International, the oldest established club for clowns.In this book, the inimitably eccentric collection of images is paired with biographies of each clown, revealing details of their private and public lives, and giving a glimpse into this outmoded art form that continues to delight and terrify children everywhere.

“A stylish new book”

Time Out

Winner of the 2005 Jerwood Photography Prize, Luke Stephenson photographs what to many epitomizes the eccentricity of Britain. Often humorous in their outlook, the subjects of his series of photographs range from prize budgerigars to those of the World Beard and Moustache Championships.Helen Champion studied Fine Art at Goldsmiths College, London, and is herself a clown called Zenden.

For over 70 years, Clowns International - the oldest established clowning organization - has been painting the faces of its members on eggs. Each one is a record of a clown's unique identity, preserving the unwritten rule that no clown should copy another's look. At first they were painted on real eggshells, then later (when they kept breaking) on to ceramic eggs, most of which are now housed at the Wookey Hole Clowns' Museum. Here images from this extraordinary archive are accompanied by the stories of the men and women behind the make-up.

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