Assignment 3

Photograph of Object

Introduction
Harold Edgerton created the strobe-illuminated photograph Milk-Drop Coronet Splash which is first
shown as a 1936 gelatin silver print and secondly shown as a 1957 dye transfer print. Edgerton filled
stroboscopic flash tubes with xenon to create electrically pulsed flashes. These strobe flashes allowed
for captures of one microsecond in a pitch-black room. This was revolutionary in capturing fleeting
moments of motion like never seen before. This phenomenal capturing should be included in the
peoples art of the 21st century module due to the phenomenal capture of a fleeting moment of time so
early in photography’s history.
Analysis: Physical Properties

The print is about 14”15” which makes it near square and way larger than a life-size droplet. It’s difficult
to tell the texture of the print from the screen, but the dye transfer print seems to have a gloss to it that
really amplifies the liquid subject. The print making process was flat and unlayered, not allowing for
much texture or otherwise outside of the actual image as it would be seen from life.

Analysis: Form
Secondly, we can assess the form of the work. Space is very zoomed in and larger than life, which really
lends to the title Milk Drop Coronet, because the milk drop now looks the size of a coronet. This changes
the context of what we are looking at and allows for us to make our own imaginations of the subject.
The colors contain striking contrast between the black and white in the gelatin print and red and white
in the dye transfer print. This contrast really separates the subject and the red surface and allows for
the milk drop to become its own object. Example of line are found in the curved background and the
cylindrical flair of the milk drop and its reflection. These lines help maintain the perspective and special
distance of us to the drop.

Analysis: Subject Matter

Next, we will analyze the subject matter. The literal subject here is milk, both the droplet and the little
planetary dribble seen in the top center. However, the size of the milk makes the viewer question and
infer different things the subject could look like at this size. Thus, the secondary subject matter is the
Coronet or whatever else the viewer could infer from it’s size and shape.

Analysis: Context

The historical context of this work is fascinating, as is falls in perfectly with the rapid evolution of
photography in the early 1900s. In the 1930s snapshots of a millisecond in time were developed by the
invention of strobe-illumination which is taken in a dark room with millisecond flashes of light to capture
a very fleeting image in crisp detail. Without this method, photos of motion were streaky or unclear.
Seeing a photo of this size of such a short moment must have been a revolutionary sight to see in the
1930s.
Justification: Concept

The concept of the work is highlighting these moments in time as never before. Seeing the work now
makes it feel almost abstract because of the large size and shape of the droplet, but in the 1930s it
would’ve been even more mind-blowing. Therefore, it’s a pivotal addition to the photography section of
the people’s art of the 21st century module.

Justification: Comparison

This work, Milk Drop Coronet compares and contrasts best against Walker Evans’ candid photos of the
1930s. Walker Evan’s photos here are in the same vein as capturing a moment in time, as they seek
people in everyday situations going about their lives. Similarly, Harold Edgerton’s work captures a
moment in time by literally capturing an action the millisecond it happens. Both of these works feel like
spaces in limbo between composition and liminal space, while one captures it in the more literal sense
of motion.

Conclusion
In analyzing, Milk Drop Coronet we discover methods of early motion photography, the history behind
these photographs’ creation, and compare them to photos of the same era and subject.

Sources consulted

Belden-Adams, D. K., & Belden-Adams, D. K. (n.d.). Harold Edgerton, Milk-Drop Coronet

Splash. Smarthistory. Retrieved April 18, 2023, from https://smarthistory.org/edgerton-
milk/

Feedback used

In this assignment I was careful to stay on track within the confines of the information the article
provided me.