Polaroid-Land Original Instant Camera, Circa 1948

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Offered here is this Vintage, collectible and rare original generation Polaroid instant full sized bellows camera Circa 1948.

We have … Read more Offered here is this Vintage, collectible and rare original generation Polaroid instant full sized bellows camera Circa 1948.

We have been very fortunate to find a very large collection of these recently.

This group of collectible original Polaroid instant Cameras is selling one each for a range of prices depending on rarity and condition.

This deep collection consists of many of the very early models built between circa 1948 and 1959.

Our intention is to sell the whole collection OR each of these iconic artifacts, one at a time.

The solid, old world, construction is astounding.

The look is pure deco and the rarity and value is increasing.

The early models have virtually no plastic and are a true example of mid century ‘by hand’ craftsmanship.

Each is sold placed on a slab base of polished travertine stone. Other bases such as glass and wood are also available at no extra charge. Please inquire.

These cameras used the original 1948 Polaroid Picture Roll Land Film, no longer available.

The individual pieces in this collection are in excellent condition, working correctly and can be sold either with all original ‘as found’ dust and patina residue included or preservation cleaned, at no extra charge, with our special time tested preservation formulae that enhance and preserve but do not change the original patina or as found condition. Factory correct flash system shown is out of stock so is not included but others may be available.

This extremely large Polaroid collection was a rare find for us and we are so pleased to be able to offer them to our clients and collectors.

These type of early cameras always sell out quickly when we get them, so order yours today. This collection represents very top tier examples in a state of excellent presentation condition.

Some cameras have original paperwork and factory accessories.

Some have the original bills of sale.

Some have the original factory leather cases.

We also have some lesser vintage but later 1960’s Polaroid cameras, priced accordingly. Please ask for more information.

Another curatorial tidbit is that this model Polaroid was used as a prop in the movie " Abbott and Costello Meet The Mummy", 1955. We have photo still clips from the film showing this model Polaroid. It appears at around 10':30" into the film.

About Edwin H. Land (1909–1991):

He was the innovative inventor responsible for conceiving of and perfecting instant photography. Known simply as Polaroid, the system revolutionized traditional photography by compressing darkroom processes into an integrated film unit and producing a final photograph in the seconds following the click of a camera shutter.

Beyond this single remarkable invention, Land produced other transformative technologies such as the sheet polarizer, and he contributed broadly to federal research activities during World War II and the following decades. For his scientific and business achievements, Land was admired by scientists, corporate leaders, and government officials alike.

In 1943, during a vacation in Santa Fe, Land took a photo of his daughter, Jennifer, who was then three years old. The girl asked her father why she couldn’t see the photo right away—at the time, photographs had to be developed professionally, a process that often took several days. Land was immediately taken by the concept of instant photography and set off on a long walk to think through the idea.

Years later, he recalled, “Within an hour, the camera, the film, and the physical chemistry became so clear” that he immediately set off to speak with his patent attorney. Polaroid’s work with crystals, dyes, and polymers in the development of polarized products provided the company the expertise it needed to begin working on the project before the war was over.

The instant photography system Land imagined was a radical departure from traditional film processing. In conventional photography, a photographer took a series of photographs on a roll of film and returned it to a laboratory later for development. There, a technician would work inside a darkroom, a specialized laboratory that contained the materials—chemical baths to start and stop the development, washing and drying equipment, and other supplies—needed to develop film and produce photographic prints. The entire process took several minutes in the laboratory and usually several days from the time a photographer dropped off the film until a print was ready for retrieval.

Land’s system required a new kind of camera and film, a system that would compress all of the components of a conventional darkroom into a single film unit, to be processed in under a minute after being ejected from the camera. If successful, the system would allow users to evaluate and share images moments after they had been taken, a transformational change from traditional photography.

The key to Land’s system was a film unit that contained both the negative film and a positive receiving sheet joined by a reservoir that held a small amount of chemical reagents (including sodium hydroxide, a strong base) that started and stopped film development. The reservoir, called a pod, was sealed within the film unit, making the entire process appear dry for the consumer even though it used liquid developers. When the film was released from the camera, a pair of rollers at the mouth of the camera bit the pod, rupturing it and allowing reagent to be forced evenly across the film, coating the entire image area. As the reagent spread, various chemicals worked to remove the unexposed silver halide from the negative, release it onto the positive layer at the top of the film unit, and reduce it, producing the final image.

From 1943 through 1946, the instant camera was kept secret at Polaroid’s laboratories as multiple challenges were resolved. The entire process required suitable color intensity and sharpness. The film unit had to be shelf-stable from the time it left the factory to when consumers clicked their camera buttons, and it had to work at a wide variety of temperatures, from desert heat to winter cold. Finally, after development, the unit had to stop all the reactions to create long-lasting photographs. Each problem was solved with precise control of the film’s chemistry.

In fewer than five years, Polaroid had invented and mastered all of the necessary new technologies to demonstrate Land’s instant photography system. Land made the first public demonstration of instant photography on February 21, 1947, during a meeting of the Optical Society of America in New York City. Newspapers covering the event called the invention “revolutionary.” The following year was dominated by resolving challenges the company faced in bringing the system from the laboratory to commercial-scale manufacturing.

The first Polaroid camera and its associated film went on sale in 1948 at a department store in Boston. The cameras sold out in minutes. These early cameras produced only sepia-toned images, and after the film emerged from the camera, photographers had to wait exactly 60 seconds before peeling off the negative backing of the image.

Customers loved the system’s promise and historical significance of nearly ‘instant’ photographic results.

As with all of our pieces, a signed and sealed ~Certificate of Authenticity~ is included with your purchase.

About CinemaAntiques:

CinemaAntiques has dedicated workshops, warehouses and galleries in Dallas Texas USA where we prepare, display and sell our rare Motion Picture equipment Antiques.
Our Cinema Antiques are perfect for display in residential, industrial and museum settings. Collectors and museums worldwide are some of our clients. Our Antiques also offer a unique sculpture look that is one of a kind and awe inspiring.
We offer one of the most complete and accurately curated selections of authentic Cinema Antiques, for sale, in the world. Many of our items were used in actual Hollywood Feature Motion Pictures, and we can only imagine the Movie Stars and entertainment Giants that paraded in front of these lights and cameras. As decorative “sculpture” or authentic Hollywood Cinema and Entertainment Memorabilia, our Cinema Antiques offer both a collectible and historical piece of the Hollywood Movie Industry, while at the same time presenting as an artistic and industrial piece of sculpture for your home, business or collection.
We offer a signed and sealed Certificate of Authenticity with all Vintage items sold.
We have been active collectors and curators of vintage Motion Picture Equipment for over 49 years. During this time we have amassed a superb and rare ongoing collection of Vintage: movie cameras, Hollywood studio lights, film studio audio / microphones and other highly collectible artifacts of the Hollywood Film Production Industry.
We have been selling collectible Cinema Antiques since 1969 and are experts in the field. We have done certified cinema movie equipment appraisals for Banks, have served as Expert Witnesses in the legal system and have given our expert guidance to various museums.
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NOTE:
Due to the nature of online photo reproduction we cannot be responsible for exact photographic color, hue, contrast and flash and non flash exposure accuracy in our photos. While we do our best to display photos that are as accurate as possible, our photos may or may not depict the absolute EXACT hue or color tone of our Antiques due to the many variables in image photography, image exporting, image uploading and viewer monitor accuracy. Please ask about color tone and hue BEFORE buying, if this is a concern!
NOTE:
In the interest of Vintage presentation and historical accuracy, we do not alter or modify our electrical, optical, mechanical or electronic Antiques, with the exception of some vintage light fixtures (which we DO correctly convert internally to modern electrical working household standards). Therefore some electrical and mechanical items MAY or may not perform and operate. We sell these as accurate display and collectible Vintage items. We suggest that these artifacts be used for display and not be operated. Please ask for more details on operability of our electrical and mechanical Antiques if operability is a concern.
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