Elsa Dorfman collection of Polaroid cameras and film
Overview
The Elsa Dorfman Collection of Polaroid cameras and film consists of eight cameras and thirteen packages of Polaroid film owned by Ms. Dorfman, a Cambridge, Mass., portrait photographer, dating from the 1950s to 2017.
Dates
- Creation: circa 1950-2017
Conditions Governing Access
The Elsa Dorfman collection of Polaroid cameras and film consists exclusively of physical objects. Digital images of these objects are available. For further information concerning research use of this collection, please contact Baker Library Special Collections, Harvard Business School. Contact specialcollectionsref@hbs.edu for more information.
Extent
3.0 linear feet (2 cartons)The Elsa Dorfman Collection of Polaroid cameras and film consists of eight cameras and thirteen packages of Polaroid film, dating from the 1950s to 2017. The cameras were used by Ms. Dorfman at various points in her photographic career. The following camera models are included in the collection: Polaroid Land Model 110 Pathfinder camera, Polaroid Land Model 195 camera, Polaroid Land Model 210 camera with case and Polaroid Model 268 flash, Polaroid Land Model 320 camera, Polaroid Land Model 450 Automatic camera, Polaroid Land Colorpack II camera, and a Polaroid Originals (Impossible) OneStep 2 i-Type camera. Also included is a Polaroid Land camera, unknown model, circa 1950s, with attached Graphic Polaroid Back, Graflex, Inc. (probably a prototype, labeled “From Graflex 1957, Ferrule cutout, Loaded Wt 1700 Kg.”) Also included are thirteen Polaroid film packages, including Polaroid Polacolor 679 film, Polaroid 600 film, Polaroid Spectra Image film, and Polaroid Originals (Impossible) i-Type film.
Biographical / Historical
Elsa Dorfman (born 1937) is a Cambridge, Massachusetts, photographer best known for her portraits, taken with a large-format Polaroid Land 20 x 24 camera. Ms. Dorfman began her photographic career during the 1950s, and became known for her intimate portraits. In 1980, Ms. Dorfman began using Polaroid’s newly developed 20x24 camera and it became her signature photographic tool. Her portraits are printed on Polaroid’s distinctive large-format instant film, which measures twenty inches by twenty-four inches. Ms. Dorfman’s camera is one of only six 20 x24 cameras made by the Polaroid Corporation.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Elsa Dorfman Collection of Polaroid cameras and film (M-19-008) were received by Baker Library Special Collections as a donation from Elsa Dorfman in 2019.
Processing Information
Processed: March 2019 By: Tim Mahoney
Subject
- Polaroid Corporation (Organization)
- Title
- Dorfman, Elsa. Elsa Dorfman Collection of Polaroid cameras and film, circa 1950-2017
- Author
- Baker Library
- Description rules
- dacs
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- bak00905
Repository Details
Part of the Baker Library Special Collections and Archives, Harvard Business School Repository
Baker Library Special Collections and Archives holds unique resources that focus on the evolution of business and industry, as well as the records of the Harvard Business School, documenting the institution's development over the last century. These rich and varied collections support research in a diverse range of fields such as business, economic, social and cultural history as well as the history of science and technology.
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