Literary notes about taupe (AI summary)
Taupe is employed in literature as a versatile descriptor that often evokes a sense of understated neutrality and subtle sophistication. Writers use the term to characterize fabric and clothing—ranging from soft woolen frocks [1] and broadcloth coat-suits [2] to delicate hats and versatile gowns [3, 4, 5]—while it also marks the tones of interior spaces, from floor coverings and drapery to the muted ambiance of a rainy November scene [6, 7, 8]. Moreover, taupe sometimes appears in color arrays, paired with hues such as beige, mauve, and even purples, to enhance a setting’s visual texture [9, 10, 11]. In certain works, the word is not just a color but a playful nod to its French meaning as a mole, adding an unexpected layer of wordplay and symbolism to the narrative [12, 13].
- Her frock was taupe colored, of a soft woolen material, ornamented with many small buttons.
— from The Mystery Girl by Carolyn Wells - “She has worn her coat-suit of taupe broadcloth,” she said in a bated voice, and with a wincing, deprecatory glance at him, “and the hat to match.”
— from The Story of Duciehurst: A Tale of the Mississippi by Mary Noailles Murfree - Her moleskin coat is gone from her wardrobe, and her little taupe hat.
— from The Luminous Face by Carolyn Wells - She wore a gown of taupe-colored duvetyn, and a velvet toque of the same color.
— from The Mystery Girl by Carolyn Wells - Wait until you see me in that taupe dinner-gown and the corals!”
— from The Copy-Cat, and Other Stories by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman - The little steamer was feeling her cautious way up a river of dull silver between banks of taupe and mauve.
— from Jane Journeys On by Ruth Comfort Mitchell - Floors —Plain hardwood, with a rag or braided rug in sapphire blue—or softwood, entirely covered in taupe Jaspe linoleum.
— from Better Homes in America: Plan Book for Demonstration Week October 9 to 14, 1922 by Marie Mattingly Meloney - The bathroom has the walls painted in broad stripes of dull blue and taupe, the stripes being quite six inches wide.
— from The Art of Interior Decoration by Emily Burbank - [158] The colors are black, beige, and taupe.
— from How to Write Letters (Formerly The Book of Letters)A Complete Guide to Correct Business and Personal Correspondence by Mary Owens Crowther - The colors are very good, especially the soft grays, tans, putty color, and taupe.
— from Furnishing the Home of Good Taste A Brief Sketch of the Period Styles in Interior Decoration with Suggestions as to Their Employment in the Homes of Today by Lucy Abbot Throop - Tino had again appeared at luncheon with the other eye done in thunderous tints of purple, taupe, and an exquisite mauve.
— from The Laughing Girl by Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers - All my life would perhaps seem narrow in your eyes—all the life of a—that little animal subterranean—une taupe—comment dit-on?” “Mole.”
— from The Professor by Charlotte Brontë - taupe , f. , petit animal qui vit sous terre et se rend très nuisible en coupant les racines.
— from French Conversation and Composition by Harry Vincent Wann
