# Edwin Land and Polaroid Photography **Author:** American Chemical Society **Published:** 2015 (National Historic Chemical Landmark) **Length:** Long-form illustrated article ## In Summary The American Chemical Society traces Edwin Land's development of instant photography, from early research into polarised light to the launch of Polaroid's SX-70 camera in 1972. First demonstrated in 1947, instant photography integrated complex chemical processes into a single film system, fundamentally changing how photographs were produced and experienced. The article highlights decades of experimentation, interdisciplinary collaboration between scientists and artists, and the technological complexity concealed behind seemingly simple creative tools. **Source:** [https://www.acs.org/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/land-instant-photography.html](https://www.acs.org/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/land-instant-photography.html) ## What might this mean for us? Polaroid's history offers Higher Education a way to explore how technological innovation reshapes creative processes and disciplinary expertise. As photography encounters generative technologies, what can earlier transformations teach us about changing skills, workflows and artistic agency? Land's collaboration with artists also suggests opportunities for practice-led research in which disciplinary needs inform technological development, rather than the reverse. ## Links in this reading - [Edwin Land and Instant Photography, commemorative booklet (PDF)](https://www.acs.org/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/land-instant-photography.html) - [MIT Museum](https://web.mit.edu/museum/) - [Polaroid Corporation](https://www.polaroid.com/)