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Emma Wade
Professor Penny Smith-Parris
English 1000
26 November 2018
The Camera That Made History
The Polaroid camera was invented in 1947 and made an everlasting impact on
photography. Before the invention of the digital camera, developing one’s photographs
was a much more arduous task than it is today. Camera users were forced to take film
to a local drug store for it to be developed, allowing the person developing the film to get
a glimpse into what you photographed. Developing film was a necessary evil if you
wanted to see the images that you had taken; however, following the invention of the
Polaroid camera, this time-consuming task became obsolete. The Polaroid camera
changed the lives of thousands of Americans with a simple click of a button; within
seconds a person had a tangible object in their hands. Not only did the invention of the
Polaroid create a more convenient way to capture memories, it also created a sense of
privacy for many camera users. The invention of the Polaroid camera is the most
significant photographic advancement of the 20th century. The mark that the Polaroid
Corporation made on photography not only benefited photographers but also the
American cultural landscape.
The Polaroid camera offered an efficient, instant, and convenient way for
photographers to have a picture in their hands within seconds. The impact that the
invention of the Polaroid had on photography was significant, allowing the quality and
affordability of cameras to improve instantly. In the article Land Invents Instant
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Photography, a collection of photography over time explains the significance of the
invention of the Polaroid camera. It features the different types of camera’s that were
used before the invention of the Polaroid and how they differ from one another. The
article discusses how the Polaroid changed photography and how it paved the way to
the creation social media and growing trends. In the article, Land Invents Instant
Photography, it states:
Soon after it was introduced, Polaroid photography became part of the American
way of life and changed the face of amateur photography forever. By the 1950’s,
Americans had become accustomed to the world of recorded visual information
through films, magazines, and newspapers; they also had become enthusiastic
picture-takers as a result of the growing trend for simpler and more convenient
