1811, Charles Lamb, “Essay on the Genius and Character of Hogarth”, in Anecdotes of William Hogarth, Written by Himself: with Essays on His Life and Genius, and Criticisms on His Works,[…], London: J. B. Nichols & Son, published 1833, page 101:
It is the force of these kindly admixtures, which assimilates the scenes of Hogarth and of Shakspeare to the drama of real life, where no such thing as pure tragedy is to be found; but merriment and infelicity, ponderous crime and feather-light vanity, like twi-formed births, disagreeing complexions of one intexture, perpetually unite to shew forth motley spectacles to the world.
(Essay originally appeared in The Reflector, no. 3, 1811.)
1833, Carl Theodor Korner, “Adelaide; a Ballad”, in G. F. Richardson, transl., The Life and Writings of Carl Theodor Korner, (Written by His Father,) with Selections from His Poems, Tales, &c., Translated from the German (Greenbank's Periodical Library, Containing in the Cheapest Possible Form, a Republication of New and Standard Works; 1: 8), 1st American edition, Philadelphia: T. K. Greenbank, page 379:
And as they hied on their midnight ride, / He took the bride on his knee: / “Why art thou to-night so feather light, / That thy weight is scarce felt by me?” / But she answer'd, “The shroud / Is my garment allow'd, / And therefore, sweet love, I seem light as a cloud.”
[1833?], Richard Hall Gower, Original Observations Regarding the Inability of Ships to Perform Their Duty with Promptitude and Safety, with Suggestions for Their Improvement, as Practised on Board the Transit an Experimental Vessel, Invented, Built, and Commanded by the Author, Ipswich: Albion Press, page 55:
I have now by me two small floats, of ten feet long, and nine inches square, being composed of quarter-inch plank only, thus causing them to be feather light, and these floats are now equally water-tight as when first made, about twenty years ago!
1837, Thomas Hood, “A Parental Ode to My Son, Aged 3 Years and 5 Months”, in A Comic Annual, London: A. H. Baily & Co., pages 159–160:
Thou happy, happy elf! / (But stop,—first let me kiss away that tear)— / Thou tiny image of myself! / (My love, he's poking peas into his ear!) / Thou merry, laughing sprite! / With spirits feather-light, / Untouch'd by sorrow, and unsoil'd by sin— / (Good heav'ns! the child is swallowing a pin!)
1884 October, H. E. Warner, “The Flight of the Red Horse; a Dakota Legend”, in The Century Magazine, volume 28, number 6, New York, page 921:
One vast wall, sweeping to the west, / Bears on its topmost curving crest / The tiny boat, so feather-light, / Through all that long and fearful night.
1911, Thomas Common, transl., edited by Oscar Levy, The Complete Works of Friedrich Nietzsche, 2nd edition, volume 11, New York: Macmillan, page 337:
As a delicate wind danceth invisibly upon parqueted seas, light, feather-light, so—danceth sleep upon me. ¶ No eye doth it close to me, it leaveth my soul awake. Light is it, verily, feather-light.
1927, Richard J. Beamish, The Story of Lindbergh the Lone Eagle, U.S.A.: International Press, page 39:
Paris with its boulevards lay like a cobweb of light below him. He must get ready for a careful, feather-light landing. Would anybody be around to take care of his plane?
1959, “Herb Dumplings”, in Collectors' Items Fifty Superb Recipes from Spice Islands, South San Francisco, California: Spice Islands, page 10:
Flavorsome, featherlight dumplings for meat stews, or chicken fricassee.
2009 April 4, Andrew Clements, “LPO/Langrée”, in The Guardian[1]:
That emotional containment was sustained through the finale, too, though Angelich enlivened the episodes with his featherlight passage work; nothing too flash, of course, he's not that kind of pianist.
2012 December 15, “Dave Brubeck”, in The Economist[2]:
The musicians he picked for his quartet, which dominated the popular jazz scene from 1951 to 1967, were chosen because they could break out of the box like him: Paul Desmond on feather-light, floating alto sax, Joe Morello razor-sharp and witty on drums, Eugene Wright rock-solid on bass.
