Abstract
ABOUT two miles above Ormeim, in the Romsdal (Norway) is the well-known Slettafos, an imposing cascade formed by the impetuous Rauma, which here lunges through a deep rocky ravine. Fascinated by the scene, I stood watching the foaming water for some time, and all at once noticed a most beautiful and delicate rosy pink tint colouring the foam and spray in the ravine. The water, where not broken up, was of a green colour, and the pink tint was at once explained as its complementary. But the point of special interest to me was that this pink colour was not visible except on those parts of the spray and foam which were in the shade of the gorge. In the full light these appeared, as usual, white. The result above described is an excellent illustration, afforded by nature herself, of the advantage of toning down the brightness of the white surface, upon which we wish to evoke a complementary tint, until it no longer exceeds that of the exciting colour—the green in this case.
Article PDF
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
WHITMELL, C. A “Natural” Experiment in Complementary Colours. Nature 26, 573 (1882). https://doi.org/10.1038/026573c0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/026573c0
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.