Send in the Clowns

The first week of August is National Clown week. The Libraries ran a post last year on this blog about harlequinades, which are featured in its current exhibition, Paper Engineering: Fold, Pull, Pop & Turn.

Harlequinades or pantomime books, in which each lifted flap changes the picture or reveals a new twist in the plot, are a form of flap mechanism. Flaps may be cut into the shape of the illustration.

From the post:

. . . often Harlequinades featured the adventures of a clown or harlequin and were often written to teach a moral.

A great example of a harlequinade was this new acquisition featured on this blog, The Falshood of External Appearances, printed in England, ca. 1790.

If you are in Washington, D.C., be sure to check out this wonderful show that includes harlequinades, pop-ups, and other examples of paper engineering. It will be on display at the National Museum of American History through September 1, 2011.

—Elizabeth Periale