In literature, old gold is more than just a metallic hue—it is a versatile and evocative color that conveys warmth, nostalgia, and subtle luxury. Writers often deploy this rich tone to animate scenes from nature and architecture as well as the sumptuous textures of fabric and decorative detail. For example, old gold is used to capture the glow of autumnal landscapes and the fading light of a yellowing day [1], [2], while it also appears in detailed descriptions of interiors—be it the tint of drawing-room decor or the luster of brocade and plush furnishings [3], [4], [5]. Moreover, technical descriptions for dyeing and pigment formulations remind readers of the color’s historical and artistic resonance [6], [7], further solidifying its place as a timeless and multifaceted element in literary imagery.
- It is this grass which, with its orange tinge of colour in autumn, gives to hills and moors a rich deep colour like old gold.
— from Gairloch in North-West Ross-Shire
Its Records, Traditions, Inhabitants, and Natural History, with a Guide to Gairloch and Loch Maree, and a Map and Illustrations by John H. (John Henry) Dixon
- THE year was in its yellowing time, and the face of Nature a study in old gold.
— from The Golden Age by Kenneth Grahame
- The long line of drawing-rooms is on the ground floor, and is profusely decorated with that tint known as old gold.
— from Dinners and Diners: Where and How to Dine in London by Lieut.-Col. (Nathaniel) Newnham-Davis
- "It is really too bad," murmured Mrs. Bellmore, with an approving glance of her fine eyes about the vast chamber done in lilac and old gold.
— from Sixes and Sevens by O. Henry
- She was carrying a small bag of old gold brocade.
— from Antony Gray,—Gardener by Leslie Moore
- With chrome it yields an old gold shade; with tin it produces more orange coloured yellows; with copper and iron, olive shades.
— from A Book on Vegetable Dyes by Ethel Mairet
- Yellow and orange: 30 wax yellow, medium, 200 parts per 5,000 parts of ceresine; 61 old gold, 200 parts per 5,000 parts of ceresine.
— from Henley's Twentieth Century Formulas, Recipes and Processes
This tab, the new OneLook "color thesaurus", is a work in progress.
It draws from a data set of more than 2000 color names gathered from sources around the Web,
and an analysis of how they are referenced in English texts.
- Enter any color to explore similar colors, as well as objects and concepts associated with the color
in English texts.
Examples: lime green,
lavender.
- Enter any object or concept to see the colors associated with the object or concept in English texts,
as well as words that have a similar color profile. Examples: rage,
sun,
jeans,
royalty.
Some words, like "
peach", function as both a color name and an object; when you do a search for words like these, you will see both of the above sections.