Circus Clown Drops his Trousers
- Artist: Chris Steele-Perkins
- Date: 1980–9
- Medium: Photograph, dye destruction on paper
- Dimensions: image: 386 x 255 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is “Circus Clown Drops his Trousers” by Chris Steele‑Perkins. It’s part of the *The Pleasure Principle* series from 1980–9, a set of forty‑four colour cibachrome photographic prints that catalogue British leisure scenes of the decade. The image shows a circus clown in mid‑action: trousers dropping as he performs. This moment captures both theatricality and an everyday slip, reflecting how public rituals—here the circus performance—are staged for pleasure.
The photograph is printed on paper with dye destruction, giving it a saturated, slightly tactile look that contrasts with the crisp camera capture. The image measures about 386 × 255 mm, a size that allows you to see details without overwhelming the eye. In this series, Steele‑Perkins used color film’s vibrancy to bring scenes of sport, youth culture and countryside hobbies alive, while also documenting moments like a clown’s wardrobe mishap.
It exemplifies his exploration of “pleasure” as a social ritual that crosses class and location. By photographing a simple, yet striking event, he invites us to think about identity signals we give each other in pursuit of happiness—here embodied by the clown’s spontaneous drop of trousers.
See it in person
Circus Clown Drops his Trousers is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
