E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Albino-poets.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, in the Autocrat of the Breakfast Table (chap. viii.), speaks of Kirke White as one of the “sweet Albino poets,” whose “plaintive song” he admires. It implies some deficiency of virility, as albinism suggests weakness, and possibly is meant as a play upon the name in this particular instance.
