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)
Golf swing, 1938

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Golf swing, 1938

Sale Date: December 13, 2010

Auction Closed

Accelerator bullet hits apple, 1978

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Accelerator bullet hits apple, 1978

Sale Date: December 8, 2010

Auction Closed

Stabhochsprung (2 works), 1964

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Stabhochsprung (2 works), 1964

Sale Date: December 8, 2010

Auction Closed

Violinist (2 works), 1963

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Violinist (2 works), 1963

Sale Date: December 8, 2010

Auction Closed

Ein Geschoss durchdringt Ballons (Bullet..., 1959

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Ein Geschoss durchdringt Ballons (Bullet..., 1959

Sale Date: December 8, 2010

Auction Closed

Splash of a milk drop on a plate, 1957

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Splash of a milk drop on a plate, 1957

Sale Date: December 8, 2010

Auction Closed

Pancho Gonzales forehand multiflash, 1949

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Pancho Gonzales forehand multiflash, 1949

Sale Date: December 8, 2010

Auction Closed

Mauser firing, 1938

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Mauser firing, 1938

Sale Date: December 8, 2010

Auction Closed

Bullet splash formation (Ein Geschoss..., 1938

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Bullet splash formation (Ein Geschoss..., 1938

Sale Date: December 8, 2010

Auction Closed

Milk drop splash (2 works), 1936

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Milk drop splash (2 works), 1936

Sale Date: December 8, 2010

Auction Closed

Bullet through candle flame, 1973

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Bullet through candle flame, 1973

Sale Date: December 3, 2010

Auction Closed

Football kick, 1939

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Football kick, 1939

Sale Date: December 3, 2010

Auction Closed

Diver, 1955

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Diver, 1955

Sale Date: December 3, 2010

Auction Closed

Moscow circus, 1963

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Moscow circus, 1963

Sale Date: December 3, 2010

Auction Closed

Pigeon released, 1965

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Pigeon released, 1965

Sale Date: December 3, 2010

Auction Closed

Cutting the card quickly, 1964

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Cutting the card quickly, 1964

Sale Date: December 3, 2010

Auction Closed

Milk drop coronet, 1957

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Milk drop coronet, 1957

Sale Date: December 3, 2010

Auction Closed

Cranberry juice into milk, 1960

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Cranberry juice into milk, 1960

Sale Date: December 3, 2010

Auction Closed

Bullet through banana, 1964

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Bullet through banana, 1964

Sale Date: December 3, 2010

Auction Closed

Bullet piercing an apple, 1964

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Bullet piercing an apple, 1964

Sale Date: December 3, 2010

Auction Closed

Cutting the playing card quickly, 1964

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Cutting the playing card quickly, 1964

Sale Date: December 3, 2010

Auction Closed

Bottle smash, 1934

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Bottle smash, 1934

Sale Date: November 9, 2010

Auction Closed

Golf swing, 1930–1939

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Golf swing, 1930–1939

Sale Date: October 19, 2010

Auction Closed

Untitled (portfolio of 10), 1985

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Untitled (portfolio of 10), 1985

Sale Date: September 24, 2010

Auction Closed

English (US)

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