Polaroid instant film technology culminated with the integral film of the SX-70.
The story goes that American physicist Edwin Land's daughter asked him, "Why can't we see it now?" after Land took a photograph. Land had already taken on the task of creating an artificial polarizing material, once thought impossible, and in 1948, the Polaroid Model 95 camera made its debut.
Novelty
The idea of a photograph available minutes after taking was a huge success with the general public. The Polaroid Company test marketed the first camera, named for its suggested retail price of $95, in Florida, where it sold out quickly, with stores taking deposits exceeding the price of the camera to reserve new stock months in advance of release, despite the expense of the camera, priced at the equivalent of $860 in 2010 terms.
Luxury
Polaroid instant film systems were not initially affordable for everyone. The cameras and film were expensive which, combined with the novelty of instant photography, gave ownership of a Polaroid camera a cachet, not unlike the buzz that surrounds the latest Apple product release. In post-war America, the pursuit of gadgetry took flight in the prosperity of the 1950s and '60s and the progression of instant film technology, including the addition of color film in 1963, created an inherent obsolescence factor.
Utility
Despite its novelty and expense, the Polaroid idea had practical applications far beyond instant rendering of little Johnny's birthday. Research, medicine and law enforcement found uses for Polaroid cameras and film. Until the advent of digital cameras, instant photos of crime scenes were standard and considered part of a chain of evidence, co-existing with conventional photographs. Photographers used instant film to confirm lighting setups and insurance adjusters always had Polaroid cameras handy for processing claims.
Instant Gratification
The "fast food" mentality of a newly mobile nation, built on domestic manufacturing, cars, drive-ins and overall prosperity, was perfectly suited for the idea of instant photographs. Polaroid cameras were made in the USA, from not only American technology, but one that was leading edge in a modernized world. As much as a new car or a suburban home, ownership of a Polaroid camera served as a passport stamp for status, a key element in the psychology of consumerism in the 20th century.
Tags: instant film, Polaroid cameras, cameras film, film technology, instant film technology, ownership Polaroid