The beautiful Dolly Varden

[corkyking]

A guide on one of the fishing shows said that the name Dolly Varden came from literature:

Dickens, Charles
Title: Dicken's Little Folks: Dolly Varden the Little Coquette from the Barnaby Rudge

"You were—you were always very beautiful,’ said Joe, ‘but you are more beautiful than ever, now. You are indeed. There can be no harm in my saying so, for you must know it. You are told so very often, I am sure.’
As a general principle, Dolly DID know it, and WAS told so, very often......"


I think that it came from the dress which was very popular in the 1800's they were all different shades of pastel dots and spots just like the Dolly coloring:


Does anyone have historical confirmation one way or another??

If I'm correct then where did the dress get it's name?

Any other historical information for other wildlife?

[SHOUGALNITE]

Not what I was expecting.

[Dipnet]

Corkyking, I must have watched the same show!!! Thought that was an interesting fact, if true!!

Dipnet :grin:

[Hoosier Daddy]

I have always heard the former, the Dickens thing

[Paddlefish]

A brief bit of googling and such brought me the following:

The Dickens novel "Barnaby Rudge" was published in installments in 1841. The "spoiled, coquettish daughter" was named Dolly Varden.

I'd always heard that the fish was named after her.

Next, I read that Vanda Foster and Richard Dunn wrote in "The Dickensian," that the character inspired songs, dances, paintings, the "the Dolly Varden look" in women's fashions in the 1870s, lending her name to a hat style, a spotted calico material, a variety of horse -- and a species of trout.

So, I guess the exact answer to your question depends on the timing of the fish's naming: was it directly after the character in the novel, or indirectly, after the fashion items which were named after the character in the novel?

[h20dog]

I really liked her in that 9 to 5 movie :grin:

[Wood N' Fish]

Ah--- yes H2odog, and there is a rock in her likeness as well on the Grande Ronde. :shocked: