Literary notes about tortoiseshell (AI summary)
In literature the term "tortoiseshell" has come to denote not only a distinctive, mottled pattern but also an air of refined, multifaceted beauty. Writers have used the color to evoke the natural complexity of a surface—as when an object is described as having "a mottled colour like tortoiseshell" that hints at depth and polish ([1])—and to adorn everyday items with an exotic elegance, as seen in tortoiseshell‐rimmed monocles and combs that lend their bearers a sophisticated, almost vintage charm ([2], [3]). Moreover, the classification of animals, especially cats, by their deeply variegated coats (e.g., categorizing a feline simply as "tortoiseshell" or "tortoiseshell-and-white") underscores the color’s cultural resonance as a symbol of uniqueness and quality in literary depictions ([4], [5]).
- I accordingly sent it to town, and it returned with a very high polish, and of a mottled colour like tortoiseshell."
— from The Works of Lord Byron, Vol. 1. Poetry by Byron, George Gordon Byron, Baron - “But the cream of it was,” said Norman, pressing a large tortoiseshell-rimmed monocle into his eye, “you don’t mind me telling this, Face, do you?”
— from Bliss, and other stories by Katherine Mansfield - Her abundant chestnut hair—exquisite, soft, and silky—was looped picturesquely, and fastened with a thin tortoiseshell comb.
— from Vain Fortune: A Novel by George Moore - It is varied in colour,—white, fawn, and black, and a mixture of the three colours, forming a tortoiseshell, which is the more generally admired hue.
— from The Book of Household Management by Mrs. (Isabella Mary) Beeton - The first class would include Persian, Angora, and other long-haired cats—black, white, tabby, or tortoiseshell.
— from The Domestic Cat by Gordon Stables
