The Polaroid camera, invented by Edwin Land, was sold to the public was in November 1948. Instant photography revolution was not embraced by the professionals but the polaroid opened the door of photography for many amateurs.
In December 2008, the company announced that the production of the polaroid films will be stopped by 2009. Eclipsed by digital photography, Polaroid’s white-bordered prints — and the anticipation they created as their ghostly images gradually came into view — are now officially things of the past. However, from David Hockney’s famous Polaroid art compositions, to the line, “Shake it like a Polaroid picture” from OutKast’s hit “Hey Ya!”, Polaroid instant film has embedded itself in popular culture.
Perhaps the most famous polaroid photo was taken on November 22nd 1963 by one Mary Moorman. She took the photograph of President Kennedy’s limousine a fraction of a second after the fatal shot. In the frame 298 of the Zapruder film (below), Moorman and her friend Jean Hill were clearly seen standing 20 feet away from the limousine, standing on grass south of Elm Street in Dealey Plaza, directly across from the grassy knoll.
What was captured in her polaroid has been a matter of contentious debate. On the grassy knoll, as many as four different figures can be observed, while these can also be easily dismissed as trees or shadows. A figure is identified as the “badge man”, a uniformed police officer. Others claim to see Gordon Arnold, a man who claimed to have filmed the assassination from that area, a man in a construction hard hat, and a hatted man behind the picket fence.
Moorman stated she heard a shot as the limousine passed her, then heard another shot or two after the president’s head first exploded. She stated that she could not determine where the shots came from, and that she saw no one in the area that appeared to have possibly been the assassin. Moorman however was not called to testify to the Warren Commission.
Moorman sold her original Polaroid photograph of the assassination for US$175,000 in an eBay live auction in January, 2008.
Iconic Photos 
I always thought it was one of the motorcycle cops that pulled the trigger, watch the Zapruder film and you will agree with me
There was not a single witness that saw a motorcycle cop raise a gun and fire. Read “Reclaiming History” by Vincent Bugliosi for details.
Hi Ferd, thanks for your comment. I agree with Rikster on this one though. There is a school of thought that believes the officer didn’t raise his arm as one of the arms was false therefore hiding the real arm and weapon from view. There is definately a puff of smoke seen on the Zapruder film coming from the cop at the rear of JFK’s vehicle.
“There is definately a puff of smoke seen on the Zapruder film coming from the cop at the rear of JFK’s vehicle.”
No, no there isn’t.
A fake arm?? You gotta be ‘effin kidding me!! You’re joking, right?? Only in movies and TV does smoke come out of a gun after firing – it’s called “special effects”. Bullets are made using Smokeless Gunpowder which has been around for over a hundred years.
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Polaroid is making its photo paper again and there is another company making an alternative too.
Its not the original. I cant see Abraham Zapruder on the wall. Its a secction of the original picture http://www.jfkfiles.com/jfk/images/bdg_ex01.gif
Hidden in plain site for 48 years. Download the Moorman photo, zoom in, way in, draw a straight line from the President’s head, straight up to the fence line, and if I am not mistaken, looks like a dude’s head peering over the top of the fence line, with what appears to be something like an arm to the left of the head; gun barrel or already lowering his arm after the shot.
Why has this photo been altered and made darker? I’ll tell you why. See where the photos cuts off on the right side at the pergola? There’s 2 men with rifles who can be seen. Look at the original.