Oftentimes, what inspires innovation originates from the
simple question “why can't this be done?” On Christmas
Eve Day in 1943, Dr. Edwin H. Land, the acclaimed
inventor and founder of Polaroid Corporation, was
enjoying an afternoon outing with his three-year-old
daughter, Jennifer.
At some point during this afternoon, little Jennifer asked
her father why she had to wait to see the photographs
he was taking.
Dr. Land contemplated his daughter's simple question.
W
ould it be possible to create an instantly developing
photograph? With his legendary inspiration and focus,
Dr. Land solidified his concept of instant photography
over several hours that same day.
The realization of his concept emerged over several
years of subsequent research and development at his
laboratory in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The breath-
taking result of this experimentation—the world's first
instantly developing photograph—was revealed before
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