Edwin Land and the Instant Photo

Edwin Land invented the instant photo for Polaroid cameras for commercial use in 1947. It was a break-through for the company, who was rivaling Kodak and also not doing well economically. Prior to the invention of the instant camera, Land had already developed the process of polarizing, which was used on sunglasses, car windows, etc. The film of the instant camera film basically had a miniature darkroom inside the camera, because it had the chemicals to both develop and fix the image. Following the unveiling of Land's instant photo at the Optical Society of America, the Polaroid cameras were an instant success. The main issue the cameras came across was their tendency to fade after time. Because of this Polaroid included sponge-tipped tubes of polymer that were immediately brushed onto the photo after being taken to set the image.

-Claudia Rotondo

Land at the Optical Society of America