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.

Artist Illustrates Well-Known Thriller Movies As Vintage Cartoons

Marilyn Monroe Hanging Out in a Pumpkin Patch, 1945

Guy Edits Disney Characters Into His Photos And The Result Looks Like They’re Having A Blast

Canadian Photographer Shows Life In The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone Today

"City Life": The Superb Contemporary Oil Paintings of Vincent Giarrano

Stunning Vintage Portrait Photography by Clarence Hudson White

Backstage Reality Of Russia: Atmospheric Photography Through A Skater’s Eyes

Sublime Street Photographs Of Hong Kong In The 1950s And 1960s

Before the Advent of Photoshop, People Used to Create Homemade Christmas Cards, 1930s-1960s

Stunning Pictures Show What Traffic Jams Looked Like In The Past

The Beautiful Pictures of Waves

17 Vintage Photos From The Public Archives To Give You A Different Perspective

Stunning Black and White Celebrity Photographs Taken by Dennis Hopper in the 1960s

1938 Phantom Corsair: The Regret Of A Car Ahead Of Its Time

A Look at Girls’ College Dorm Rooms in the Seventies

Belgian Man Discovered Stash Of Cars Hidden In Abandoned Quarry Since World War II

Amazing Vintage Illustrations Of Japanese Anthropomorphic Frogs and Toads

Behind the Scenes Polaroid Snapshots From the Making of the 1995 Cult Classic “Hackers”

Unique House for the Atomic Age from 1953

Cool Photos Defined Fashion Styles of Young Women in the 1970s

Vintage Photographs of Christine Keeler Posing in a Swimsuit on a Beach in Spain and France, 1963

This Artist Perfectly Colorized Retro Black and White Photos

The Plague Of Overweight: Photographer Martha Holmes Documented The Struggle Of Obesity People In 1950s America

Quirky And Daring: Best Soviet Concept Cars

These Twisted Vintage Portraits Were Made Before Photoshop

Cool Pics Show Fashion Styles of ’80s Couples

Red, White, Blue and Awkward: 20 Hilarious 4th of July Family Photos From the 1980s and 1990s

Once Upon The War: Introducing The Kharkiv School of Photography

Amazing Vintage Photographs of Linemen on Utility Poles at the Turn of 20th Century

Breathtaking Color Photographs Of The American South Taken By William Eggleston In The Late 1960s And Early 1970s

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