3-028-783 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

The Fog-Bow, seen from the Matterhorn, 1871. Engraving from '...Mr. Edward Whymper's new book, "Scrambles Amongst the Alps," [of] a rare optical and atmospheric phenomenon...Mr. F. G. Smith, of the Cheque-office, Bank of England, informs us of what he saw on Aug. 25, 18G2, in a walk from Kandersteg to Murren, by the Dundengrat and Furka passes. He was overtaken by night, and slept on the rocks, at a height of 8000 ft. Rising at dawn, he continued his ascent to the summit of the second ridge. The sun was on the point of rising over the jagged peaks of the Oberland. He says "I turned to the west, when I became conscious of a faint, yet clearly-marked, perpendicular line of whitey-yellow hue, broader at the top than at the bottom, rising from the western horizon, exactly opposite the point of sunrise. At first it was so faint that I suspected some optical delusion, so I rubbed my eyes, but failed to rub it out. On the contrary, as I looked it became plainer...at last I became sensible that the phenomenon was a reproduction of the sun's rays - in fact, a mock sunrise...".' From "Illustrated London News", 1871.