This unidentified artist made a set of about 950 Polaroids, which were discovered intact in New York in spring 2012. “Type 42” refers to the film used; it is a Polaroid film that was introduced in the market in 1955 and discontinued in 1992. The images are mainly portraits of actresses—sometimes distorted, slightly out of focus, or pixelated—captured on a television screen, on which they appeared against dark backgrounds. Usually, the face and bust are shown; sometimes, the entire body is visible. In most cases, the name of the actress is written at the bottom of the photograph. Sometimes, the title of the film or series—often science fiction or B movies—is written at the top. On thirty-one of them, the artist added the subject’s measurements at the top. Occasionally, the edges of the screen are used as a framing mechanism, but usually they are absent from the image. Made between 1969 and 1972, these photographs are a technical exploit because, at the time, the general public did not yet have access to video-recording technologies. It is impossible to assess the number of shots that the author took for each final picture, but it is certain that he or she went to great trouble to capture a moment or a specific pose.
ANONYMOUS . usa (07) . “TYPE 42”, known as
