Polaroid 50
Art and Technology

In 1994, Dr. Edwin H. Land, while vacationing in Santa Fe, New Mexico, photographed his young daughter who wondered aloud why she couldn't see her portrait right away. What began with a child's innocent question resulted in a dramatic advance in photographic science and technology when the instant photographic process was introduced to the Optical Society of America three years later. Creative, innovative thinking made possible what previously had been thought impossible.

The first instant Polaroid films were sepia. Images of friends and family, courtyards and wooded landscapes were captured in soft, earthy hues. Black-and-white films, reusable negatives, color films and electronic imaging capabilities expanded the instant repertoire as the decades passed. The Polaroid spirit of scientific inquiry never diminished as the search for new and evolutionary photographic media continued.

Keeping pace with the spirit was the creative genius of talented artists. Stimulated by each new invention, they sought fresh and unusual ways of expressing their visions on instant film. What would happen when black-and-white prints were left unfixed, exposed to air and light, then brushed with fixer like paint on a canvas?

When Lucas Samaras pushed the dyes of an SX-70 photograph with a blunt stylus to manipulate the original image, he created a minor revolution. Similarly, transferring photographic dyes to watercolor paper or silk fabric rather than to the intended photographic paper created a unique art form that continues to resonate with fine art and commercial photographers alike.

The explorations of many fine artists testify to the unlimited creative possibilities of instant photography. For some people, Polaroid photography means snapshot photography--capturing special moments during a family celebration or creating a record for a more utilitarian purpose. But for many renowned and emerging photographers, Polaroid photography is much more. It is the artistic medium of choice for artists, educators and commercial photographers who rely on Polaroid films in an abundance of creative and innovative ways. The works displayed here mark only a few important advances made in Polaroid photographic science and symbolize five decades of artistic inventiveness.

Barbara P. Hitchcock, director of Cultural Affairs
Polaroid Corporation