Iain Baxter, the eclectic Canadian artist, was traveling through 31 states in 40 days, turning his back on tourist attractions like the Golden Gate Bridge and the Washington Monument, and holding up a mirror to American society, its roadside kitsch and culture. “It was an instant trip,” he says, “taking instant pictures of an instant country.” Polaroid Corporation, which sponsored his odd odyssey, is planning to use the resulting photos in an exhibition and a book called Instant America.

Excerpt from Paul Grescoe, “Reflections on America. Iain Baxter Has a Nation in the Palm of his Hand”, The Gazette (March 20, 1982): 18-19.