Harold Edgerton

ferrotyped, the photographer's 'Photography by Edgerton, Germeshausen and Grier' credit stamp, and with title, reduction notations, and other annotations in pencil and ink on the reverse, 1936

Beaussant Lefevre, Paris, December 1995, Lot 91

Stopping Time: The Photographs of Harold Edgerton (New York, 1987), p. 66

This early, warm ferrotyped print is on medium-weight paper and is trimmed to the image. It is in generally good condition. The edges are rubbed, with tiny losses of emulsion. There is creasing at the edges, and particularly in the lower left corner, where the crease appears to break the emulsion. In raking light, several handling creases are visible overall, as are fingerprints, small soft impressions on the recto, and impressions from writing on the reverse of the print. In addition to the title and the stamp, the following are written on the reverse: reduction notations in pencil and 'Ausschnitt' in German; reduction notation, 'PAP5,' 'page 192' (marked out), '2' (circled), and '42/100' in blue ink; '5H28' in green pencil; and 'page 176,' what appears to be 'Prof. Kepes,' 'Return to Jeff Wyle,' and 'NB4588' in pencil. When examined with ultraviolet light, this print does not appear to fluoresce.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Dr. Harold Edgerton, a professor of electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, transformed photography and its capacity to record movement with his invention of the electronic flash.  His stroboscope, as he called it, comprised ranks of gas-filled bulbs that were illuminated by micro-timed electrical charges.  This brief, intense, and repetitive illumination allowed a movie camera to film at extremely high speeds and capture what had previously been invisible.    

The present image was made by Edgerton when hired by a manufacturer of lead pellets used in shotgun shells, bullets, and weights.  Edgerton’s assignment was to identify the flaws and inefficiencies in the firm's manufacturing process.  Using his stroboscopic technique, Edgerton was able to photograph what the eye could not see: molten lead sifting through a die and solidifying into spheres during descent.  The longer the descent, the more perfectly spherical the pellets became.  

The 'Edgerton, Germeshausen and Grier' credit stamp on the reverse of this print refers to the technical consulting business Edgerton formed in 1931 with MIT graduate student Kenneth Germeshausen, and that later included Herbert Grier.