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LAND, EDWIN. (1909-1991). American physicist and inventor of Polaroid photography and many other commercial applications utilizing polarized light. SP. (“Edwin H. Land”). 1p. Folio. N.p., N.d. (New York, 1940). A very impressive black and white portrait by the prominent photography studio Bachrach of New York. Land left his studies at Harvard in 1926 to pursue independent research into the area of light polarization. Only three years later he filed his first patent on a synthetic polarizer, for which he would find diverse commercial applications. After briefly returning to Harvard he formed, with Harvard colleague George Wheelwright III, Land-Wheelwright Laboratories and soon earned a contract with Kodak. In 1937 the Polaroid Corporation was founded and began manufacturing everything from lighting and windows to microscope attachments, camera filters, sunglasses and, during World War II, products with military applications. It was in 1944 that Land first conceived of his most famous invention, the SX-70 camera and its one-step film developing process. By 1948 Polaroid’s instant developing camera had become an enormous commercial success. While the company went on to make many more important products including instant x-ray film, 3-D movies and anti-glare headlights, Polaroid and its founder are probably most remembered for the instant camera, still popular today. During his lifetime Land was honored with numerous medals and awards and served as President Eisenhower’s technology advisor. A beautiful image of the photography pioneer. Signed on the lower blank margin and extremely rare. Beautifully framed.

Item #13608

Price: $2,500