Polaroid Corporation

This section is about the company that pioneered instant film in the 20th century. For the company that currently produces Polaroid instant film and cameras, formerly known as Impossible Project, see Polaroid B.V. For other uses, see Polaroid (disambiguation).
Polaroid Corporation
Company typePrivate
Industry
FoundedCambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.; 1937; 87 years ago (1937)
FounderEdwin H. Land
Defunct2002 (2002)
FateBrand sold to One Equity Partners;
changed name to Primary PDC, Inc.
SuccessorPolaroid B.V.
HeadquartersMinnetonka, Minnesota, U.S.
Area served
Worldwide
Products
Number of employees
0

Polaroid Corporation was an American company best known for its instant film and cameras, which now survives as a brand for consumer electronics. The company was founded in 1937 by Edwin H. Land, to exploit the use of his Polaroid polarizing polymer.[1] Land and Polaroid created the first instant camera, the Land Camera, in 1948.[2]

Land ran the company until 1981. Its peak employment was 21,000 in 1978, and its peak revenue was $3 billion in 1991.[3]

Polaroid Corporation was declared bankrupt in 2001;[4][5] its brand and assets were sold off.[6] A new Polaroid company formed,[4][6] and the brand assets changed hands multiple times before being sold to Polish billionaire Wiaczesław Smołokowski [pl] in 2017. This acquisition allowed Impossible Project, which had started producing instant films for older Polaroid cameras in 2008,[7] to rebrand as Polaroid Originals in 2017, and eventually as Polaroid in 2020.[8] Since the original company's downfall, Polaroid-branded products in other fields, such as LCD televisions and DVD players, have been developed and released by various licensees globally.[9][10]

  1. ^ "History of Polaroid and Edwin Land". Boston.com. Boston: The New York Times Company. 2012-10-03. Archived from the original on 2016-01-04. Retrieved 2015-01-31.
  2. ^ "History of Polaroid and Edwin Land".
  3. ^ "Polaroid quits instant film". Sun Journal. Lewiston, Maine. Associated Press. February 9, 2008. pp. B8, B7. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference pdcmain was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference pdcshare was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference pdcfaq was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Zhang, Michael (2017). Polaroid Acquired by The Impossible Project’s Largest Shareholder Archived 2019-08-11 at the Wayback Machine, PetaPixel.com, 10 May 2017
  8. ^ Polaroid [@Polaroid] (Mar 27, 2020). "This is Polaroid — now. From The Impossible Project to Polaroid Originals, we are returning to where it all began. With the one name, the one brand: Polaroid. No matter where you joined us in this journey, thank you for your support. Together, we can make history... again" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  9. ^ Walker, Rob (2008-03-16). "Photo Finish (Published 2008)". The New York Times. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  10. ^ "Polaroid to Finally Get the Museum It's Always Deserved". Time. 2014-01-10. Retrieved 2023-08-10.