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Smile Day
"All right," said the Cat; and this time it vanished quite slowly, beginning with the end of the tail, and ending with the grin, which remained some time after the rest of it had gone.
"Well! I've often seen a cat without a grin," thought Alice; "but a grin without a cat! It's the most curious thing I ever saw in my life!"
~ Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll, 1865
Curiouser and curiouser! Like the Mona Lisa’s mysterious smile, the Cheshire Cat’s grin remains one of the most unforgettable in both literature and art. Part of the Alice in Wonderland tartan series, the Cheshire Cat tartan draws its colour and geometry from vintage book illustrations of this striped trickster, who delights in conversation with Alice before vanishing into nothing but a mischievous grin.
The phrase “grinning like a Cheshire Cat” actually predates Lewis Carroll’s tale, with many fanciful stories attempting to explain its origin. Perhaps the most whimsical involves a cheese once sold in Cheshire, moulded in the shape of a cat’s face. It was cut from the tail forward, leaving the smiling head for last.
Over the years, artists have painted the cat in every hue—earthy browns, luminous blues, vivid purples and pinks. In this tartan, a single bright band recalls that famous grin, lingering after the rest of the striped cat has slipped away. Look for the Cheshire Cat’s smile—and don’t forget to follow the White Rabbit! 💙 🤍 🖤 💙 😸 😸 😸 🙂 🙂 🙂
RIDDLE: What kind of a cat can grin?
ANSWER: A Catenary.
~ David Day, Queen's Quarterly (2010)
World Smile Day is celebrated on the first Friday in the month of October every year. The idea of was coined and initiated by Harvey Ball, the commercial artist from Worcester, Massachusetts who created the iconic Smiley Face in 1963. Apart from the ubiquitous smiley, other famous smiles include Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa and the Cheshire Cat from Lewis Caroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
Designed by Carol A.L. Martin as part of her Alice in Wonderland tartan series, this tartan uses the colours of many classic interpretations of the Cheshire Cat in art.
For a special tribute to all of Carol A.L. Martin's Alice in Wonderland tartans, click the Cheshire Cat.