The Pierrot character began as one of many figures in a type of improvised theatre popular in northern Italy during the sixteenth century. Some of the figures from this genre included the Harlequin, the sinister clown, Columbine and the handsome cavalier Scaramouche. Each character had different costumes and behaviors. The Pierrot was a type of sideshow comedian. He performed imitations, caricatures, acrobatics, tumbling and was expected to improvise according to the performance scenario. His typical costume was white with a large blouse, a high hat and a white powdered face.

The early 20th century saw a revival in the interest of the Italian comedy characters. They began to appear in French poetry, Italian Operas and ballets. The Pierrot frequently appeared, emerging as a self-dramatizing artist who was presented as a stylized mask or veil, separating the human being from the creative artist.

As French poetry and plays evolved, the role of the Pierrot changed. Behind their white-powdered faces, they became decadent, romantic, and a brilliantly tormented character in a bizarre, airless inner world.

The most famous of the French Pierrots was Gaspard Deburau. He immortalized the silent Pierrot. Deburau, inspired by the lazy, mischievous valet Pedrolino, the 16th century Italian Pierrot, changed the character from a cynical, grotesque rogue into a romantic, poetic character. He brought a personal expression to the fantasy melodrama and acrobatics. Not only did he add actions, he also invented his own scenarios and staging. All of Paris was mesmerized by Deburau's inventive genius and he reached great heights of success. Today we know these clowns as 'pantomime blanche' because of the white face he wore.

Many other well-known clowns followed in Deburau's footsteps. Some of the most known were Paul Legrand, Alexandre Guyon, Louis Rouffe, and Séverin. Soon the pantomiming Pierrots became stereotyped. As boredom began to face the clowns, Georges Wague revitalized the role, once again, as a mime. He laid the groundwork for discovering and training the white-faced clowns and mimes, including the famous author Colette.

By the mid 1920's, Paris was the place for the Pierrot characters to be. The arts, both visual and performance, were huge fans to this comedic character. Many famous photographers, including Paul Nadar and Lucien Walery photographed Pierrots and their performances. Several great masters of the white-faced mimes, Etienne Decroux, Marcel Marceau, and Jacques Lecoq, developed schools that no longer represented traditional, nineteenth-century pantomime. Schools and styles differed from one another but together they all succeeded in using physical expression to create a total performance show, enhancing the development of the visual theater as we know it today.