Early Polaroid Photos Using Polaroid SX-70 Camera by LIFE Photographer Co Rentmeester, 1972

Co Rentmeester/The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

In 1972, Polaroid introduced its iconic SX-70 camera. It was an evolutionary leap from the groundbreaking “Land Camera” invented in 1947 by Polaroid co-founder Edwin H. Land.

These gorgeous SX-70 photos from a time when instant photography was still in the realm of magic. The shots were taken by LIFE photographer Co Rentmeester who had a chance to put the SX-70 through its paces before it was available for purchase.

The SX-70 fully captured the imagination and the attention of photography buffs, industrial design aficionados and pop culture commentators alike. Far from a mere consumer product, the camera quickly became associated with, and in a sense helped to define, the early Seventies.

h/t: vintag.es

Co Rentmeester/The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Edwin H. Land used one of his own creations, a Polaroid Land Camera, in 1972.

Co Rentmeester/The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The October 27, 1972 cover of LIFE magazine, featuring Edwin Land.

Co Rentmeester/The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

If you want more awesome content, subscribe to Design You Trust Facebook page.

Rare and Fascinating Historical Photos of Pasta Production From the 1920s to 1950s

The Snail Family In Medieval Art

As The Standard Of The World Turns: Lovely Photos Of 1965 Cadillac Coupe DeVille

"Wakka Wakka Wakka": Amazing Nostalgic Video Game Artworks By Rachid Lotf

Capturing the Unbridled Hysteria of Beatlemania: LIFE Photographer Stan Wayman’s Portraits of Fans at the Beatles’ First US Concert

Photographer Jacqueline Roberts Uses 166-Year-Old Technique To Shoot Kids

Amazing Photos Capture Street Scenes of New York City in the 1990s

A Holiday Potpourri Of 40 Classy To Wildly Irreverent Vintage Christmas Magazine Covers

Funny Vintage Postcards Depict People Falling From Donkeys in Le Plessis-Robinson, France, ca. 1900

Living La Dolce Vita: Vintage Photos Show How Idyllic Italy Was In The 1980s

Beautiful Portraits of Goldie Hawn With Her Iconic Short Hairstyle in the 1960s

Photographer Captures The Individuality Of Human Beings By Photographing People’s Faces And Their Irises

"We Were Once Alive": 100-Year-Old Portraits from Rural Sweden by John Alinder

Amazing Photographs Documented Victorian Houses Moving In San Francisco In The 1970s

The 'Real' New York: Gritty Scenes Of NYC Street Life In The 1970s

When Retro RPG Lets You Name The Main Character…

The Dream Collector: Photographer Used His Camera to Recreate Children’s Nightmares From the 1960s

These Designers Show How Studio Ghibli Interiors Would Look Like In Real Life

"One Day with Salvador Dalí": A Surreal Photo Shoot of Salvador Dalì in His Seaside Villa, 1955

Amazing Vintage Photos Captured Inside the WTC’s Windows on the World, the Most Spectacular Restaurant in the World

Spectacular Images of Northern Lights Captured from Space

For the Last Decade, Artist and Collector Thomas Sauvin Recovered Discarded Negatives from A Recycling Plant Outside Beijing

Beautiful Illustrations of Ranch Houses, An Icons of Comfortable Outdoor Lifestyle in the 1930s and Beyond

Fascinating Photos Capture Street Carnival Revelers in Port of Spain, Trinidad in 1975

Weirdly Wonderful Vintage Balaclava Knitting Patterns From the 1960s and 1970s

31-Year-Old Independent, Modern Woman Draws Comics On Her Observations About Society

Artist Illustrates Moments From Her Life, Primarily Thoughts On Living With A Rare And Degenerative Muscle Wasting Disorder

SØLV Jewellery Boutique Creates Cold Shapes Of This ‘Natural’ Jewellery Line That Can Mesmerise You

Vintage Photos of People Posing With Their Automobiles in the 1980s

Hilarious Dark Humor Retro Illustrations By Steven Rhodes

1970s, camera, Co Rentmeester, life, polaroid, retro, SX-70, vintage