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A "society circus" held on April 4, 1923, most likely in the vicinity of Washington, D.C. From the National Photo Company collection. View full size.
I'm going to surmise that the broad-brimmed hat clown is supposed to be Barney Google, given what seems to be strange eye makeup, and the "Spark Plug" label on the horse.
A different Barney and Spark Plug made an appearance a few months later. (Shorpy #4445)
when I was little I was scared of clowns, except Bozo.
They probably could scare the be-jesus out of little kids,
especially the guy with the wide brimed hat: "mamma I had another nightmare about them clowns, can I sleep with you and daddy?"
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