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Object Timeline
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1972 |
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1999 |
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2023 |
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SX-70 Camera And Case
This is a Camera and case. It was designed by Henry Dreyfuss and manufactured by Polaroid Corporation and project headed by Edwin Land. It is dated 1972 and we acquired it in 1999. Its medium is polysulfone plastic with a layer of copper-nickel-chromium alloy, applied leather. It is a part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts department.
The SX-70 was the first camera to achieve one-step photography. Introduced in 1972 by Edwin H. Land, co-founder of the Polaroid Corporation, this single-lens reflex camera revolutionized instant photography long before smartphones and Instagram, today’s global photo sharing app. Polaroid manufactured cameras as early as 1947, but the SX-70 embodied major innovations in both form and function. Unlike previous cameras, this camera required the photographer to merely point, focus, and click—then wait three minutes for the snapshot to develop. The first to employ an instant film pack that included a built-in battery, the SX-70 ejected pictures automatically, without the chemical residues of previous models. Sleek and compact when folded flat, the camera is encased in a stylish brushed-chrome and leather shell, enhancing its appeal as a desirable accessory. It achieved a cult following upon its release, used by photographers including Ansel Adams, Walker Evans, and Andy Warhol.
This object was featured in our Object of the Week series in a post titled Communicate: Instant Photography Before the Internet .
It is credited Museum purchase through gift of Neil Sellin.
- Olympus O-Product Pocket Camera
- aluminum, plastic, glass.
- Gift of Max Pine.
- 1999-53-20-a/c
- Swinger Model 20 Camera
- plastic, metalc.
- Museum purchase through gift of Neil Sellin.
- 1999-2-4
- Big Shot Camera
- molded plastic, metal.
- Museum purchase through gift of Neil Sellin.
- 1999-2-3
Our curators have highlighted 2 objects that are related to this one.
- Drawing, Hood detail, die-cast strip, for John Deere
- pen and ink, graphite on tracing tissue.
- Gift of Henry Dreyfuss.
- 1972-88-364
- Kodak Pocket Instamatic 10 Camera
- molded plastic, metal, woven cord (strap).
- Gift of Warren A. James.
- 1998-41-1-a,b
Its dimensions are
H x W x D (a: open): 12.5 x 10.5 x 17.7 cm (4 15/16 x 4 1/8 x 6 15/16 in.) (a: closed): 4.4 cm (1 3/4 in.)
Cite this object as
SX-70 Camera And Case; Designed by Henry Dreyfuss (American, 1904–1972); Project headed by Edwin Land (American, 1909 - 1991); Manufactured by Polaroid Corporation (United States); USA; polysulfone plastic with a layer of copper-nickel-chromium alloy, applied leather; H x W x D (a: open): 12.5 x 10.5 x 17.7 cm (4 15/16 x 4 1/8 x 6 15/16 in.) (a: closed): 4.4 cm (1 3/4 in.); Museum purchase through gift of Neil Sellin; 1999-2-2-a,b
This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibitions Bob Greenberg Selects and Tools: Extending Our Reach.
