Polaroid

A picture in sixty seconds. Edwin Land's daughter asking why she had to wait, the peel-apart print, the SX-70 folding to the size of a wallet, the whirr and the developing square, and the chemistry that made a darkroom unnecessary.

Part of Cameras

15 moments in this segment.

1. 1948 - Quick Developing Camera - 1948 (Movietone Moment). Polaroid Land Camera 1948 newsreel (1948). Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
2. 1972 - Polaroid SX-70 Land Camera - 1972 Commercial by Charles and Ray Eames. Polaroid SX-70 1972 (1972). Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
3. 1972-10-25 - SX-70. Polaroid SX-70 1972 (1972). Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
4. 2010 - The Polaroid SX-70 (1972) (4 of 4). The Polaroid SX-70, the camera itself, 1972. Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon. The subject dates from 1972; this photograph was taken in 2010.
5. 2011 - The Polaroid SX-70 (1972) (1 of 4). The Polaroid SX-70, the camera itself, 1972. Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon. The subject dates from 1972; this photograph was taken in 2011.
6. 2013-11-16 - Eyewitness captures Polaroid of moment JFK was shot. JFK assassination Polaroid (1963). Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
7. 2016-11-22 - Black Friday 1948: The first Polaroid instant camera sells out. Polaroid instant camera 1948 (1948). Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
8. 2020-05-10 - Polaroid: Edwin Land, Instant Photography and the SX-70. Polaroid SX-70 / Edwin Land (1972). Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.
9. 2022 - The Polaroid SX-70 (1972) (2 of 4). The Polaroid SX-70, the camera itself, 1972. Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon. The subject dates from 1972; this photograph was taken in 2022.
10. 2022 - The Polaroid SX-70 (1972) (3 of 4). The Polaroid SX-70, the camera itself, 1972. Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon. The subject dates from 1972; this photograph was taken in 2022.
11. 2023 - The Polaroid (1948) (1948) (4 of 4). The Polaroid (1948), the camera itself, 1948. Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon. The subject dates from 1948; this photograph was taken in 2023.
12. 2023 - The Polaroid (1948) (1948) (3 of 4). The Polaroid (1948), the camera itself, 1948. Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon. The subject dates from 1948; this photograph was taken in 2023.
13. 2023 - The Polaroid (1948) (1948) (2 of 4). The Polaroid (1948), the camera itself, 1948. Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon. The subject dates from 1948; this photograph was taken in 2023.
14. 2023 - The Polaroid (1948) (1948) (1 of 4). The Polaroid (1948), the camera itself, 1948. Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon. The subject dates from 1948; this photograph was taken in 2023.
15. 2025-05-13 - Mr. Polaroid (Chapter 1) - American Experience. Edwin Land / Polaroid history (1948). Colour, instant prints and home movies brought the camera into everyday life, and one rode to the Moon.