Axial Commons Image Treasury
Colour print of a soap bubble on a dark background, reflecting yellow, blue and green patterns, with a pipe stem at upper right.

Optics: a soap bubble exhibiting interference colours. Colour mezzotint (?) by M. Rapine, c. 1883, after B. Desgoffe.

A soap bubble hangs against a dark background, its curved surface reflecting patches of yellow, blue, and green grid-like forms, with a slender golden pipe stem entering from the upper right. This colour print, plate VI of the French series Le Monde Physique, shows the shimmering interference colours of the bubble's thin film.

Artist
Blaise Alexandre Desgoffe
Date
1883
Medium
Aquatints
Source
Wellcome Collection
Size
2738 × 4000 px
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Public domain · Wellcome Collection marks it Public Domain Mark; made by 1883.
Rights checked 2026-11-05 · tier A · as stated by the source: Public Domain Mark (Wellcome Collection)

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): Wellcome Collection

Español: Pompa de jabón con colores de interferencia, lámina VI de Le Monde Physique

Una pompa de jabón flota sobre un fondo oscuro, y su superficie curva refleja manchas amarillas, azules y verdes con formas de cuadrícula, mientras un tallo de pipa dorado entra desde la parte superior derecha. Esta estampa en color, lámina VI de la serie francesa Le Monde Physique, muestra los colores de interferencia que brillan en la fina película de la burbuja.

Português: Bolha de sabão com cores de interferência, prancha VI de Le Monde Physique

Uma bolha de sabão paira sobre um fundo escuro, e sua superfície curva reflete manchas amarelas, azuis e verdes com formas de grade, enquanto uma haste de cachimbo dourada entra pela parte superior direita. Esta gravura colorida, prancha VI da série francesa Le Monde Physique, mostra as cores de interferência cintilantes na película fina da bolha.