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)
Gustave Solomons, dancer, 1960

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Gustave Solomons, dancer, 1960

Sale Date: September 16, 2005

Auction Closed

Aerial view of the M.I.T. campus, 1997

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Aerial view of the M.I.T. campus, 1997

Sale Date: September 16, 2005

Auction Closed

Drum majorette

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Drum majorette

Sale Date: September 16, 2005

Auction Closed

Action at the rodeo, 1940

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Action at the rodeo, 1940

Sale Date: September 16, 2005

Auction Closed

Tennis player, 1939

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Tennis player, 1939

Sale Date: September 16, 2005

Auction Closed

Wes Fesler kicking a football, 1934

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Wes Fesler kicking a football, 1934

Sale Date: September 16, 2005

Auction Closed

Tennis ball impact, 1935

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Tennis ball impact, 1935

Sale Date: May 18, 2005

Auction Closed

Bobby Jones's golf swing, 1938

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Bobby Jones's golf swing, 1938

Sale Date: May 18, 2005

Auction Closed

Tennis serve (John Bromwich), 1938

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Tennis serve (John Bromwich), 1938

Sale Date: April 26, 2005

Auction Closed

Shooting the apple, 1964

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Shooting the apple, 1964

Sale Date: April 27, 2005

Auction Closed

Tennis ball impact (+ 3 others; 4 works), 1935–1949

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Tennis ball impact (+ 3 others; 4 works), 1935–1949

Sale Date: April 27, 2005

Auction Closed

Twirling baton

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Twirling baton

Sale Date: May 9, 2003

Auction Closed

Shooting the Apple, 1964

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Shooting the Apple, 1964

Sale Date: February 15, 2005

Auction Closed

Cutting the Card Quickly (2 works), 1964

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Cutting the Card Quickly (2 works), 1964

Sale Date: February 15, 2005

Auction Closed

Moving Skip Rope, 1952

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Moving Skip Rope, 1952

Sale Date: February 15, 2005

Auction Closed

Gussie Moran's Tennis Swing, 1949

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Gussie Moran's Tennis Swing, 1949

Sale Date: February 15, 2005

Auction Closed

Tennis player Gussie Moran serving, 1938

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Tennis player Gussie Moran serving, 1938

Sale Date: November 25, 2004

Auction Closed

Golf swing, 1955

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Golf swing, 1955

Sale Date: November 25, 2004

Auction Closed

Bobby Jones' golf swing, 1938

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Bobby Jones' golf swing, 1938

Sale Date: October 15, 2004

Auction Closed

Gus Solomons, pl.105, 1960–1960

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Gus Solomons, pl.105, 1960–1960

Sale Date: September 10, 2004

Auction Closed

Smoke flowing through an electric fan, 1934–1934

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Smoke flowing through an electric fan, 1934–1934

Sale Date: June 10, 2004

Auction Closed

Smoke flowing through an electric fan, 1934–1934

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Smoke flowing through an electric fan, 1934–1934

Sale Date: June 10, 2004

Auction Closed

Bullet piercing balloons, 1959–1959

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Bullet piercing balloons, 1959–1959

Sale Date: May 18, 2004

Auction Closed

Flug der Karten, 1940–1940

Harold Eugene Edgerton

Flug der Karten, 1940–1940

Sale Date: May 14, 2004

Auction Closed

English (US)

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