Edwin Land and Polaroid Photography
Anthony Pritts
Edwin H. Land was the clever inventor behind the creation and improvements of instant photography. Widely known as Polaroid, the design transformed conventional photography by condensing darkroom processes into a merged film device and generating a photograph in a matter of seconds with the click of a camera shutter. Aside from giving us the invention of instant photography widely used today, Land committed to federal research activities during World War II and the technology is known as the sheet polarizer. Land was applauded for his hard work by government officials, scientists, and several corporate leaders.
Light Polarization
At a young age, Land was particularly interested in the light waves that depict the direction of their oscillations also known as light polarization. Polarized light tends to vibrate or oscillate in one direction versus nonpolarized light which vibrates in multiple directions (Polarized 2021). Land had his sights on perfecting vehicle headlights and windshields by implementing polarizers to reduce the glare of oncoming traffic. To learn more about synthetic polarization, Land enrolled at Harvard University to study physics but soon left to study physical optics in New York. By 1930, Land figured out a new and more refined way to create polarizing sheets by applying tiny crystals instead of electromagnets to a sheet of plastic and stretching it to make a parallel alignment (Edwin 2021). Land and his former colleague, George W. Wheelwright, created Land-Wheelwright Laboratories in Massachusetts around 1932 to produce polarizers. Together the company did good business on polarizing films and by 1937 became known as Polaroid Corporation.
Polaroid During World War II
Land and his new company had big plans to help the United States as they prepared for World War II. With the use of polarizing lenses, Polaroid, manufactured anti-glare goggles, cameras, and various optical devices for soldiers and pilots (Magazine 2018). Land also introduced the vectograph which became a tool for the military to properly visualize geographic features of battlegrounds in three dimensions (Edwin 2021). The war continued and Land ended up serving as a consultant to the National Research Defense Committee to direct scientific research for war purposes (Edwin 2021). Once the war ended, Land and his company were determined to put their expertise to work.
Polaroid Instant Photography
In 1943, Land was particularly interested in pursuing how to develop a camera that could develop photos within seconds rather than waiting several days. Since the company had much background in the use of crystals and developing polarized products, Land knew exactly what needed to be done. The traditional way of developing film was by taking a series of photographs on a roll of film then being returned to a darkroom laboratory where chemical baths would produce the prints (Edwin 2021). Land’s idea was to create a system in which you could compress all the components of a darkroom laboratory into a single camera in which you share images seconds after they had been taken. The deciding factor to Lands' new idea was a film unit that consisted of both negative and positive receiving sheets combined by a pod that held a small number of chemicals that started and stopped the film development (Edwin 2021). The instant camera was kept a secret at the Polaroid company for several years due to mechanical difficulties that needed to be refined. Finally, once each problem was resolved Land and his company invented the first Polaroid camera known as the Model 95 (Globe 2012). The camera was sold at a department store in Boston in 1948 and ended up selling out within minutes. Users had to wait 60 seconds after the photo was taken before peeling off the negative side of the image (Britannica 2021). This was a groundbreaking invention since images could now be captured without the hassle of using the darkroom routine.
