This note presents an experimental study of the plane strain – contact stress distribution beneath a rigid footing resting on a compacted soft cohesive soil medium. The immediate contact stress distribution was found to be highly dependent on the magnitude of the applied stress relative to the ultimate bearing capacity of the foundation. At low levels of applied stress the contact stresses were substantially higher at regions adjacent to the footing edges. As the applied stresses were increased, the contact stresses achieved a more uniform configuration.