In literature, the color "faded yellow" is frequently employed to evoke a sense of aging and nostalgic decay, while also imbuing objects with a subtle warmth or melancholy. Authors use it to describe once-brilliant textiles and décor—such as damask hangings and curtains that, although now muted, still recall a richer past ([1], [2])—and to detail the weathered character of buildings, streets, and even nature, as seen in paving-stones, bricks, and leaves that bear the soft, worn hue of time ([3], [4], [5]). It also appears as an attribute of personal attire and physical traits, lending a quality of time-worn familiarity to uniforms, robes, and even skin or hair ([6], [7], [8]). In these varied uses, "faded yellow" becomes a subtle storyteller, suggesting both the beauty and the inevitable decline that accompanies the passage of time.
- The faded yellow damask hangings were rich and brilliant.
— from The Cuckoo Clock by Mrs. Molesworth
- Madame Meynell sat in one of the windows, alone, half-hidden by the faded yellow damask curtains, looking out into the street.
— from Charlotte's Inheritance by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon
- It had no garden, only a large yard, covered with faded yellow paving-stones, and containing a well with an old-fashioned roller and bucket.
— from Scottish Ghost Stories by Elliott O'Donnell
- Then he espied the high wall of a garden, and a little house, under a lime-tree with faded yellow leaves.
— from Little Johannes by Frederik van Eeden
- The house is built of faded yellowish bricks, with old tiles on the roof, and has a pleasant home-like air.
— from Rustic Sounds, and Other Studies in Literature and Natural History by Darwin, Francis, Sir
- He was a fat, pasty-faced individual, clad in a long gown of faded yellow silk, the front of which was stiff with the grease and dirt of years.
— from From Pekin to Calais by Land by Harry De Windt
- They wore double-breasted coats, and faded yellow sashes were wound under their black leather sword belts.
— from The Little Regiment, and Other Episodes of the American Civil War by Stephen Crane
- Gold that had given a false brilliancy to the faded yellow of her hair, and thrown a gleaming into her light, lustreless eyes.
— from The Red House Mystery
The Piccadilly Novels by Duchess