PreservedUpdated 6/11/2026
Polaroid SX-70 Prototype
Made by Polaroid Corporation1971Massachusetts, United States
A pre-production Polaroid SX-70, the folding single-lens-reflex instant camera that Edwin Land considered his masterpiece. Prototype bodies differ in hinge tooling and film-door fittings from production units. The SX-70 program consumed much of Polaroid's research budget for a decade and produced landmark work in optics, chemistry, and industrial design.
Provenance
1971
Assembled during pre-production, Polaroid, Cambridge
attributed
1985
Retained by program engineer
owner supplied
2014
Acquired by Meyer family collection
documented
2026
Digitally preserved in Relic
confirmed
Current Custodian
Bavaria, Germany
Access Matrix
- Digital viewingpublic
- Additional photographsby request
- Remote video inspectionavailable
- Research visitowner approval
- Temporary research loancase by_case
- Museum exhibition loanavailable
- Scientific samplingnot permitted
- Commercial licensingcontact owner
Record Metadata
CategoryPhotography
MaterialsBrushed chrome, leather, glass optics, polymer film door
Dimensions17.5 × 10 × 3 cm (folded)
ConditionGood; leather lifting at one corner
Digital Record
24 high-res images (8,192 × 6,144)
3D Mesh / Photogrammetry
Precise digital measurements
Doc. Score: 72/100Scanned 8/30/2026
Cite this object
Relic Archive. (1971). Polaroid SX-70 Prototype [Object record]. Relic Object RL-1971-000419.