Land, Edwin Herbert (1909-1991), an American inventor, scientist, and business executive, invented the Polaroid camera, the first practical instant camera. An instant camera produces a photograph in seconds.
Land held more than 500 patents. In 1934, he patented polarized light filters, which cut down glare from harsh light sources and reduce strong reflections on glass and similar surfaces. In 1937, Land founded the Polaroid Corporation (now part of Petters Group Worldwide) to manufacture the filters. Polarized filters found uses in automobile headlights, sunglasses, and cameras.
In 1947, Land demonstrated the first practical process for creating instant photographs. Land’s first Polaroid camera produced black-and-white photos on special film inside the camera in less than a minute. It became available to the public in 1948. In 1963, Land created color instant film and a new line of Polaroid cameras. The cameras used a simple film pack, and the film developed outside the camera, so that a photographer did not have to wait before taking another picture. In 1972, Land introduced the Polaroid SX-70 camera and a new type of film pack. The camera automatically ejected each picture, and the image developed in open light.
Land was born on May 7, 1909, in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He served as president of Polaroid until 1975 and as its chairman of the board until 1982. He died on March 1, 1991.
See also Photography (Instant processing) .
