Regency Men: Joseph Grimaldi

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1807 portrait of Joseph Grimaldi by John Cawse

One of the people I feature in my book Masquerade Balls in Regency Britain as a featured performer was the known harlequinade master, Joseph Grimaldi. At one time considered the most popular English entertainer of the long Regency, Grimaldi was born in 1778.  He passed away in 1837, and his obituaries remembered him well:

JOSEPH GRIMALDI May 31 In Southampton Street Pen tonville aged 57 Mr Joseph Grimaldi the paragon of Clowns This celebrated mime was the son of Signor Grimaldi a dentist and dancer who came to this country in 1760 in the suite of Queen Charlotte and who was the son of a far celebrated sauteur who performed chiefly in France and from his vast powers of jumping obtained the sou briquet of Iron legs The skill of Gri maldi the second as a dancer and his in ventive powers as a ballet master were made known to Garrick who engaged him in the latter capacity Having be come a favourite on the boards he neg lected his shop and it is reported that he became so arrogant as to exhibit a taste of his temper before her Majesty in consequence of which he was forbid the palace Though he practised it less he did not wholly resign his calling of a den tist his temper led him into a variety of disagreements with managers on which occasions he returned to tooth drawing as a matter of course and as his manners were remarkable and his dialect ridicu lous many visited him rather to notice his peculiarities than test his skill The signor died on the 14th March 1788 Joseph his elder son the subject of the present notice was born on the 18th Dec 1779 He made his first appear ance at Drury lane Theatre when only two years and eight months old in the character of the child in the serious panto mime of Robinson Crusoe At seven years of age little Joey was regularly en gaged at that establishment He gradually grew into the favour of the public as a serious pantomimist but he did not for many years attempt to rival the Delpinis Folletts & c who made our grandsires merry In 1798 he obtained the hand of Miss Hughes whose father was the pro prietor of Sadler's Wells a love match though a prudential one in other respects Mrs Grimaldi died in childbirth in 1799 After remaining nearly three years a widow er in 1802 he led to the alter Miss Bris tow of Covent garden theatre by whom he had one son Joseph commonly known as Young Joe who died nearly five years since Grimaldi remained at Drury until about 1808 when Mr Harris secured his servi ces and there he aided in the production of all the celebrated pantomimes from Mother Goose down to Harlequin Gulliver He was also engaged at Sadler's Wells and night after night played Clown there the pantomime being performed first and then repeated the character at Covent garden and on one occasion actually play ed Clown three times in one evening at Sadler's Wells the Circus and Covent garden He did not confine himself to clown ship at Sadler's Wells he played a variety of characters comic and serious cor sairs slaves pirates & c were amid the latter and the broader portion of low comedy was deemed his forte in the former line He played Acres in The Rivals on the occasion of his benefit at Covent gar den and has acted Richard the Third in the provinces Having demanded too great a salary the proprietors of Sadler's Wells engaged Paulo in his stead and Mr G starr d in the country and in this expedition he amassed enough to buy his shares in that theatre In 1823 when only forty four years of age he was overtaken by a pre mature decline of health and as he told the public my anxiety to merit your fa vours has excited me to more exertion than my constitution could bear and like vaulting ambition I have overleapt my self This was uttered at Drury lane on his making the exertion of performing once more to taking his final leave of the stage on the 27th June 1828 He then retired to a place near Woolwich on a pension of 130 from the Drury lane Theatrical Fund his post on the stage being taken by his only son Joseph Samuel William Grimaldi whose career was ar rested by a still more early termination for he died of the effects of intemperance in Dec 1832 See Gent Mag for that year part ii p 581 About two years since Grimaldi lost his wife when he removed from Wool wich to his old vicinity of Pentonville The landlord of a neighbouring public house the Marquis Cornwallis was ac customed to fetch him on his back in order to pass the evening with his other guests and to carry him home in the same fashion Hepassed his last evening in that manner in good spirits and died suddenly in his bed during the night To do adequate justice to the genius of Grimaldi for such it was is difficult if not impossible Those persons who are merely acquainted with pantomime as pantomime is commonly represented and who have never seen its principal 319 Grimaldi personage the clown made otherwise than a painted idiot or vulgar buffoon can form no conception of what it was in his hands Thousands have been witnesses of his performances to whom in their early days when Christmas was wont with emancipation from school to bring plum cake and the annual visit to the theatre the name of the illustrious Joe was associated with all that was most blithe and merry He had but to show his face to create an atmosphere of laugh ter His introductory How are you to the audience was irresistible Then his exuberance of animal spirits was really miraculous What a rich ringing laugh the very voice of Momus He would ab stract a watch or steal an umbrella with such delicious sang froid that peculation became a virtue through the skill of the peculator Then the self approving chuckle and the contemputous look half pity half derision that he gave to the dupe of his artifice the delight he seemed to experience in playing off his mad pranks upon Pantaloon the mincing gallantry with which he addressed Colum bine and the fear with which he regarded Harlequin and his ludicrous agonies under castigation were all perfect His was the brightest name that the jovial goddess ever inscribed upun the chequered roll of pantomime and though fame may re fuse him a niche in her temple of heroes and sages he will have a shrine in the greatful and pleasant recollections of those he has in life delighted The mortal re mains of this great mime were consigned to the earth in the burial ground of Pen tonville Chapel on the 5th June attend ed by Mr Richard Hughes one of the proprietors of Vauxhall the brother in law of the deceased Mr Dixon of the Repository one of the proprietors of Sad ler's Wells Mr Arthur cousin of de ceased Mr Dayus treasurer of Sadler's Wells Mr Norman the pantomimist Mr Wells of the Sir Hugh Myddelton Tavern Mr Lawrence treasurer of the Surrey Theatre and three other private friends His grave which is far beyond the usual depth is at the foot of that of poor Charles Dibdin son of the great lyrist Grimaldi was indebted to Charles for almost all the songs in which he set London in a roar and now actor and au thor share a few feet of earth between them Mr Grimaldi has left his shares in Sadler's Wells to Mr Richard Hughes to Mrs Bryant his sister he has left all his personal property about 7001 in the funds and his household furniture to his housekeeper he has given 50l to Mr Dayus and Mr Norman 251 each 13

Getting his start early, at the age of nearly three on stage in Drury Lane’s pantomime Robinson Crusoe, he would go on to an incredibly successful career as a pantomimist, harlequin, comedian, and actor. His early days were marked for sometimes wild performances indicating some exploitation on the part of his father, including being swung as an infant on a chain until it snapped and he landed in the orchestra pit.

Joe’s debut into the pit at Sadler’s Wells, illustration by George Cruikshank for Dickens’s memoirs of Grimaldi

Grimaldi, at nine, became the primary breadwinner for the family due to his father’s poor health. It was a rocky series of years before his continuous employment in the late 1780s at Sadler’s Wells, where Grimaldi also took an interest in set design. Grimaldi then jumped over to the Haymarket in 1791 for a few years before returning to the new Drury Lane, at the age of fifteen, to become one of the principle juvenile performers.

The king of catchphrases, like “Here we are again!”, Grimaldi continued in the tradition of his family of performers. His success would enable them to have a healthy life in his later years, including a love match with children.  Grimaldi would be a star performer at not just the stage but larger venues, like Vauxhall and the Pantheon, entertaining the multitudes with his excellent comedic timing and mastery of pantomime. Although he was not limited to clowning, playing both dramatic and comic characters, he was most beloved for his familiar characters.

 


Miles, H. D. (1838). The Life of Joseph Grimaldi: With Anecdotes of His Contemporaries. United Kingdom: C. Harris.

 

When George III the gentleman whose pocket was picked by George Washington of thirteen fine States one fine morning in 1776 was King of England he delighted to take his wife Queen Charlotte and their interesting family to see the new Christmas pantomime in which Grimaldi was the unrivaled clown When he sprang upon the stage with his usual Hullo here we are and made his usual grimaces the King would reply in quite a loud tone of voice So we are Mr Grim aldi that's fine remark Mr Grimaldi HAARLEM HOLLAND SEE PAGE 110 a Charlotte turning to the Queen or old Snuffy as the people used to call her do you hear what Mr Grimaldi says my dear he says Here we are and so we are The great clown was always so much applauded when he ap peared that on one occasion when the King was walking with the Duke of York his son aged about ten years old the crowd re cognized the King and be gan to cheer him very loud ly whereupon the Duke said Sir here's fun The peo ple take you for Mr Grimaldi It would be a good thing if the kings were as sensible men as Joe Grimaldi the clown Frank Leslie’s Sunday Magazine. (1887). United States: Frank Leslie’s Publishing House..

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