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Image of Vortex at a Fan Blade Tip

Harold Edgerton , (Apr 6, 1903–Jan 4, 1990)

Vortex at a Fan Blade Tip

1973
14 in. x 11 in. (35.56 cm x 27.94 cm)

Medium and Support: dye transfer print
Credit Line: gift of Katherine D. and Stephen C. Sherrill (PA 1971, and P 2005, 2007, 2010)
Accession Number: 2006.42.9

Commentary

The miraculous photographs made by MIT-trained electrical engineer Harold Edgerton were born of a engineering experiment in which the whirling motion of a machine could be perceived to be “stopped” when synchronized with the application of the pulsing strobe light. Quickly the principal was adapted to create strobe-flash photography by syncing the light of the strobe with an ordinary camera. The resultant photographs are far from ordinary—they provide a glimpse into motion, speed, and time. As photography historian John Szarkowski commented, “Although Edgerton’s basic motive has been informational, not aesthetic he has consistently made pictures that have been bold, stylish, and dramatic.” Edgerton brought his new technology to photographic studies of speeding projectiles, moving animals, swinging athletes, and leaping dancers, showing not only how objects react to the impact of bullets and explode, splash, or drop in sequence, but also the powerful fluid motion of the human body swinging a tennis racquet, throwing a baseball, or skipping rope. Both scientific and artistic, Edgerton’s photography makes time stand still and allows us to view the formerly-unseen and infinitely remarkable dynamics of motion.

Exhibition List
This object was included in the following exhibitions:

Related Parent(s) Click a record to view
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Seeing the Unseen
2006.42.1-12

Related Siblings(s) Click a record to view
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(title page)
2006.42.0
Image of Shock Waves from Impact
Shock Waves from Impact
2006.42.1
Image of Pole Vaulter, David Tork
Pole Vaulter, David Tork
2006.42.10
Image of Cutting the Playing Card Quickly
Cutting the Playing Card Quickly
2006.42.11
Image of Bullet and Apple
Bullet and Apple
2006.42.12
Image of A Girl and Her Horse
A Girl and Her Horse
2006.42.2
Image of Action at the Rodeo
Action at the Rodeo
2006.42.3
Image of Tennis Serve
Tennis Serve
2006.42.4
Image of Football Placement Kick
Football Placement Kick
2006.42.5
Image of Swirls and Eddies of a Tennis Stroke
Swirls and Eddies of a Tennis Stroke
2006.42.6
Image of Golf Drive by Densmore Shute
Golf Drive by Densmore Shute
2006.42.7
Image of Splash of a Milk Drop
Splash of a Milk Drop
2006.42.8

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