What color were Mark Twain's hair?

Answer 1

Although Sam "Mark Twain" Clemens was one of the most photographed personalities of the 19th century, those photos were all black and whites, making determination of Clemens' eye color difficult. There are painted portraits of Clemens that show his eyes a light blue, but this does not appear to match the photographic evidence over several decades that show Clemens with dark eyes, typically an indication of brown eyes.

Answer 2

No. He has been called a racist because of the language in "Huck Finn" but it is more correct to say that that he uses the language to show the abysmal treatment of slaves in the south.

Since he stood up for the slaves and openly admired African Americans it is possible that some bigots would assume that he only stood up for them because he was one of "them"

Answer 3

Yes. He suffered from Daltonism. Oddly enough with his attitudes towards coloured people, slave and free, would have made him seem to be colour blind in more than one way to his contemporaries.

Answer 4

Yes, but his hair changed over the years...

"I would have loved to live in the time of Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth, the best dressed period of the world. You know I like color and flummery and all such things--I was born red-headed--maybe that accounts for my passion for the gorgeous and ornamental.

~ Mark Twain - quoted in Abroad with Mark Twain and Eugene Field, Fisher

"When red-headed people are above a certain social grade their hair is auburn."

~ Mark Twain - A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

Also in applying for a German passport on May 7, 1878, Mark Twain described himself to the authorities -- My description is as follows: Born 1835; 5 ft. 8 1/2 inches tall; weight about 145 pounds....dark brown hair and red moustache, full face with very high ears and light gray beautiful beaming eyes and a damned good moral character.

- letter to Bayard Taylor written May 7, 1878 (in German); reprinted and translated in "New Letters of Mark Twain," American Literature, 3/1936, p. 48.

Answer 5

He had "kind blue eyes," according to the biography written by his daughter.

Answer 6

Some feel that Mark Twain did have Asperger's Syndrome.

Answer 7

He absolutely was not a racist.

Answer 8

Mark Twain had reddish-brown hair.