One failure for the tinkering genius of instant film
Salesmen at Boston's Jordan Marsh department store just before Christmas 1948 proudly touted the new cameras with the slogan "Snap it, see it." As curious customers watched in fascination, Polaroid pictures almost miraculously developed right inside the camera in one minute. Photography's professionals dismissed it as a gimmick, but Edwin Land had just founded the instant-photo industry, now a $1.2 billion business. Last week Land, 70, one of the premier tinkerers of American history, announced his retirement as chief executive officer of Polaroid amid...