Emmett Kelly
Emmett Leo Kelly was born in Sedan, Kansas on December 9, 1898. His father, Thomas, was a section foreman for the Missouri-Pacific Railroad. While still a child, the family moved to a farm in Southern Missouri, where his father had purchased a farm in Texas County, near the community of Houston. In the summer of 1909, he attended both the Mighty Haag and M.L. Clark and Son's circuses.
As a youth, his mother Mollie enrolled him in the Landon School of Cartooning, a correspondence school where he began developing his artistic skill.
In 1917 Kelly moved to Kansas City, hoping to get a job as a newspaper cartoonist. It was there that he created a cartoon of a tramp that he originally named "Old Dubey." While in Kansas City, Kelly began working for carnivals and circuses and trained as a trapeze artist.
In August 1920 Kelly returned to his adopted hometown of Houston, Missouri where he appea…
They come and go. We’ll email you the moment one lists.
🔔 Sign in to get an alert
ISO
Nobody has an ISO for Emmett Kelly yet. Be the first.
What’s an ISO?
ISO means in search of. You post the autograph you want (who, what item, your budget), and sellers who can get it, or already have it, reach out to you. It’s free, and it’s how many collectors find pieces that never hit eBay.
In RACC collections
Pieces RACC members have put on show
No Emmett Kelly drops yet. Be first to know when there is one. Drops are official signed merchandise that artists, record labels and official distributors release regularly, and they sell out fast.
Alerts come as a daily email digest and a bell on RACC.
When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Terms of Service · Privacy Policy · Community Rules
© 2026 Real Autograph Collectors Club
