Bullet Through Balloons
1959, printed 1980-81
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
image: 29.21 × 48.1 cm (11 1/2 × 18 15/16 in.) sheet: 40.64 × 50.4 cm (16 × 19 13/16 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Corcoran Collection (Gift of Mr. Pete Kayafas)
Accession Number
2015.19.4384
Art Historical Context
Behold the mesmerizing *Bullet Through Balloons* (1959, printed 1980-81), a gelatin silver print by pioneering photographer Harold Edgerton. Captured at the National Gallery of Art as part of the Corcoran Collection, this 29.21 × 48.1 cm image freezes a split-second drama: a bullet slicing through vibrant balloons, their colorful skins erupting in a burst of motion and debris. Edgerton, an MIT engineer and photographer, mastered high-speed stroboscopic techniques using electronic flash, revealing the invisible poetry of velocity. Edgerton's work bridges science and art, transforming fleeting ...