Harold Eugene Edgerton

(American, 1903–1990)

Harold Eugene Edgerton was an American electrical engineer and photographer. His invention of a repeatable electronic flash allowed for the photography of split-second events, such as a bursting balloon or a bullet passing through an apple. “Don’t make me out to be an artist. I am an engineer. I am after the facts, only the facts,” he once said of himself. Born on April 6, 1903 in Fremont, NE, he studied electrical engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and later earned a Doctor of Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1931. While at MIT, Edgerton began experimenting with strobes in an effort to advance their technological utility. Edgerton studied alongside fellow photographer and engineer Gjon Mili, who shared his interest in photography. Technology that Edgerton helped pioneer was used to capture atomic explosions and by the undersea explorer Jacques Cousteau. He retired from his position as professor emeritus in 1968, but continued working in the MIT Stroboscope Light Laboratory and teaching a freshman course in photography. Notably, in 1973, he was awarded the National Medal of Science. Edgerton died on January 4, 1990 in Cambridge, MA. Today, the photographer’s works are held in the collections of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, among others.

Harold Eugene Edgerton Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Harold Eugene Edgerton (778 results)
Bird taking off, 1960

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Bird taking off, 1960

Sale Date: May 27, 2011

Auction Closed

Balle coupant la carte du roi de coeur, 1964

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Balle coupant la carte du roi de coeur, 1964

Sale Date: May 27, 2011

Auction Closed

Tennis impact (+ 2 others; 3 works)

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Tennis impact (+ 2 others; 3 works)

Sale Date: May 20, 2011

Auction Closed

Cutting the card quickly

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Cutting the card quickly

Sale Date: May 20, 2011

Auction Closed

Bullet through queen of hearts

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Bullet through queen of hearts

Sale Date: May 20, 2011

Auction Closed

The flip

Harold Eugene Edgerton

The flip

Sale Date: May 20, 2011

Auction Closed

Bullet through apple

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Bullet through apple

Sale Date: May 20, 2011

Auction Closed

Propellers (2 works), 1981

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Propellers (2 works), 1981

Sale Date: May 20, 2011

Auction Closed

Bullet piercing an apple, 1964

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Bullet piercing an apple, 1964

Sale Date: May 20, 2011

Auction Closed

Milk drop coronet, 1957

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Milk drop coronet, 1957

Sale Date: May 20, 2011

Auction Closed

Wes Fesler kicking a football, 1934

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Wes Fesler kicking a football, 1934

Sale Date: May 20, 2011

Auction Closed

Baseball player with flash, 1935

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Baseball player with flash, 1935

Sale Date: April 30, 2011

Auction Closed

Football kick

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Football kick

Sale Date: April 30, 2011

Auction Closed

Densmore Shute bending the shaft, 1938

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Densmore Shute bending the shaft, 1938

Sale Date: April 30, 2011

Auction Closed

Water sprinkler at night, 1939

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Water sprinkler at night, 1939

Sale Date: May 17, 2011

Auction Closed

Rodeo, 1940

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Rodeo, 1940

Sale Date: May 2, 2011

Auction Closed

Milk drop coronet, 1957

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Milk drop coronet, 1957

Sale Date: April 9, 2011

Auction Closed

Diving

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Diving

Sale Date: April 24, 2008

Auction Closed

Majorette throwing a baton (2 works)

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Majorette throwing a baton (2 works)

Sale Date: January 28, 2011

Auction Closed

Splash of a drop of milk

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Splash of a drop of milk

Sale Date: January 28, 2011

Auction Closed

Bullet through balloons

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Bullet through balloons

Sale Date: January 28, 2011

Auction Closed

Pete Desjardin diving, 1940

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Pete Desjardin diving, 1940

Sale Date: December 9, 2010

Auction Closed

Bouncing ball, 1939

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Bouncing ball, 1939

Sale Date: December 9, 2010

Auction Closed

Double drops, 1950–1965

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Double drops, 1950–1965

Sale Date: December 9, 2010

Auction Closed

English (US)

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