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)
Multiple exposure of a pigeon in flight, 1965

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Multiple exposure of a pigeon in flight, 1965

Sale Date: May 22, 2008

Auction Closed

Multiple exposure of diving coach, Charles..., 1963

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Multiple exposure of diving coach, Charles..., 1963

Sale Date: May 22, 2008

Auction Closed

Antique gun firing, 1935

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Antique gun firing, 1935

Sale Date: May 22, 2008

Auction Closed

Milk drop coronet (collectio of 26), 1937

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Milk drop coronet (collectio of 26), 1937

Sale Date: May 15, 2008

Auction Closed

Densmore shute bends the shaft, 1938

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Densmore shute bends the shaft, 1938

Sale Date: April 26, 2008

Auction Closed

Cutting the card quickly, 1964

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Cutting the card quickly, 1964

Sale Date: April 9, 2008

Auction Closed

Stop-motion photographs (set of 7), 1938–1965

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Stop-motion photographs (set of 7), 1938–1965

Sale Date: February 7, 2008

Auction Closed

Bullet through plexiglas, 1962

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Bullet through plexiglas, 1962

Sale Date: January 31, 2008

Auction Closed

Cutting the playing card quickly, 1964

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Cutting the playing card quickly, 1964

Sale Date: December 13, 2007

Auction Closed

Bullet through apple, 1964

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Bullet through apple, 1964

Sale Date: December 13, 2007

Auction Closed

Milk drop coronet, 1957

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Milk drop coronet, 1957

Sale Date: December 13, 2007

Auction Closed

Light Bulb, 1930–1939

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Light Bulb, 1930–1939

Sale Date: December 5, 2007

Auction Closed

Le plongeon, 1955

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Le plongeon, 1955

Sale Date: November 19, 2007

Auction Closed

The turtledove, 1933

Harold Eugene Edgerton

The turtledove, 1933

Sale Date: November 21, 2007

Auction Closed

Milk drop (+ another; 2 works), 1935

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Milk drop (+ another; 2 works), 1935

Sale Date: November 21, 2007

Auction Closed

Wes Fesler kicking a football, 1934

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Wes Fesler kicking a football, 1934

Sale Date: November 13, 2007

Auction Closed

Motion studies of a golfer (+ 12 others; 13..., 1938

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Motion studies of a golfer (+ 12 others; 13..., 1938

Sale Date: October 16, 2007

Auction Closed

Bullet through apple, 1964

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Bullet through apple, 1964

Sale Date: September 29, 2007

Auction Closed

Baton multiflash - Drum majorette, 1953

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Baton multiflash - Drum majorette, 1953

Sale Date: May 19, 2007

Auction Closed

Densmore shute bends the shaft, 1938

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Densmore shute bends the shaft, 1938

Sale Date: June 7, 2007

Auction Closed

Bullet through apple, 1964

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Bullet through apple, 1964

Sale Date: June 7, 2007

Auction Closed

Cecil Heuley leaving Homebrew Boston rodeo

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Cecil Heuley leaving Homebrew Boston rodeo

Sale Date: May 30, 2007

Auction Closed

Sans titre (Décomposition du golfeur), 1917

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Sans titre (Décomposition du golfeur), 1917

Sale Date: May 30, 2007

Auction Closed

Golf Club and ball, 1930–1939

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Golf Club and ball, 1930–1939

Sale Date: May 22, 2007

Auction Closed

English (US)

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