Meroë Morse and Polaroid’s Culture of Art and Innovation, 1945–1969
The universal appeal of instant photography, introduced by the Polaroid Corporation in 1948, fueled the extraordinary growth of the legendary company. Edwin H. Land, Polaroid’s founder, cultivated a creative culture within his research and manufacturing enterprise—building an interdisciplinary community devoted to the technical and artistic excellence of the new photographic medium. A key contributor to the development of instant photography was Meroë Morse, an art history graduate of Smith College. At Polaroid, Morse found exceptional opportunities for women in the post-war era. With no background in science or business, she became manager of black-and-white photographic research, director of special photographic research, a trusted advisor to Land, and liaison to Ansel Adams, a Polaroid consultant who tested the company’s prototype cameras and films. Morse embodied the creative ethos underpinning Land’s innovative company, bringing her artistic and scientific sensibilities to the advancement of a photographic medium that would come to have unique cultural and artistic significance.
From Concept to Product draws on the extensive holdings of the Polaroid Corporation Collection at Baker Library, Harvard Business School. This remarkably comprehensive collection includes correspondence and memos, research and development records, test photographs, marketing materials, corporate publications, legal and patent documents, audiovisual materials, cameras, and other Polaroid products.
