The Polaroid camera was first conceived in 1943 by Edwin Land, prompted by a question from his daughter as to why she couldn't see a picture he had taken immediately. At the time, a lengthy development process was unavoidable.
Land patented the idea for a camera which could develop pictures ready for viewing soon after they'd been taken. But he felt that the camera had potential as an artistic medium.
Land started up a collection of photographs taken by highly regarded photographers using a Polaroid, and the collection took on an impressive range. Some of those included were Chuck Close, Lucas Samaras, Robert Frank, William Wegman, and Andy Warhol.
Ansel Adams is the best represented artist. Of the 1,200 images, 400 are by him, which is to be expected given his personal friendship will Land, and enthusiasm for exploring the limits of what could be done with the camera.
The sale takes place in June, and is expected to raise between $7.5m and $11.5m for Sotheby's in New York.
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