Decade collection

The 1930s Collections

Real 1930s footage, scanned in 4K from original 8mm reels. These are home movies shot during the Depression years: city streets, family gatherings, road trips, and small-town life caught on film by the people who lived it.

/1930-collections

Stockfilm holds 7,866 clips filmed between 1930 and 1939, 5,794 of them licensable directly on this site at $149, scanned at 4K from 15 original home movie reels. 5,080 clips carry a city and 7,866 a country, across 5 countries; United States, France and Canada lead. Every clip page shows its year and the confidence level behind that date; a matched source reel appears where the catalog can pair the clip with a reel record by year and place, a candidate match rather than a digitization log, which about 46% of searchable clips currently carry. The 53 year and place collections below are the fastest way in; the tables list where and when the footage was shot.

Clips: 7,866
Direct at $149: 5,794
Source reels: 15
Countries: 5
Cities: 82
Years: 1930 to 1939

What people filmed in the 1930s

Subject counts come from the same keyword search the browse pages use, restricted to clips dated 1930 to 1939.

Where it was filmed

7,866 of the 7,866 clips carry a country and 5,080 a city. Each row links to the year and place collection for that place when one exists, otherwise to a search scoped to the 1930s.

Top countries, 1930s
Country	Clips
United States	7,272
France	329
Canada	238
Germany	26
Panama	1

Top cities, 1930s
City	Clips
San Francisco, United States	471
Cleveland, United States	431
Chelan, United States	328
Paris, France	323
Danielson, United States	214
Long Lake, Canada	195
Sacramento, United States	195
Winchester, United States	192
Lake Tahoe, United States	180
Mount Washington, United States	178

Year by year

Clips per year, 1930 to 1939
Year	Clips	Direct	Collections
1930	1	1	Search 1930
1931	0	0	Search 1931
1932	0	0	Search 1932
1933	21	0	Colorado
1934	36	0	Search 1934
1935	25	0	Colorado
1936	379	296	California Denver Colorado
1937	1,820	1,237	California Sacramento California San Francisco California Cleveland Ohio Truckee California Bend Oregon +7 more below
1938	2,051	1,556	California Washington New Jersey West Virginia Winchester Maryland Cleveland Ohio +13 more below
1939	3,533	2,704	California New York Washington Wyoming Chelan Washington Paris France +11 more below

Five highlights

The five 1930s collections with the most directly licensable clips, described by their own keywords.

1937 California
1937 California: 1,074 clips, 855 of them licensable directly, tagged animals, objects and wildlife.
Top seller: KLAMATH CALIFORNIA-1937: Road Entering Klamath Falls $149 · Commercial
1939 Washington
1939 Washington: 486 clips, 427 of them licensable directly, tagged sports, mountain and lake.
Top seller: CHELAN WASHINGTON-1939: Man Shakes Mounted Deer Head Trophy at Friend $149 · Editorial only
1939 New York
1939 New York: 505 clips, 367 of them licensable directly, tagged car, period clothing and house.
Top seller: NEW YORK USA-1939: Woman Preparing Food in New York Factory Kitchen $149 · Commercial
1939 Wyoming
1939 Wyoming: 360 clips, 317 of them licensable directly, tagged animals, wildlife and mountain.
Top seller: WYOMING USA-1939: Young Women Waving and Boarding a Classic Car $149 · Editorial only
1939 Chelan Washington
1939 Chelan Washington: 328 clips, 301 of them licensable directly, tagged boat, forest and mountain.
Top seller: CHELAN WASHINGTON-1939: Man Shakes Mounted Deer Head Trophy at Friend $149 · Editorial only

Formats and gauges

Standard 8mm was introduced in 1932, so the reels in this decade date from the first years of amateur 8mm film. Kodachrome became available in 8mm in 1936, which is why color appears part way through the decade. A 50 ft Standard 8 reel runs about three to four minutes at 16 frames per second, so a family's whole year often fits on one or two reels.

Source reels behind the 1930s clips: 15 8mm. Every clip page links to its reel.

$149 flat license · royalty-free worldwide

Nothing here is a recreation. Each clip is restored from the physical reel, so the grain, color, and motion are exactly what the camera captured. Browse the collection below and license any clip royalty-free.

1937 Beachwood New Jersey

1937 Bend Oregon

1937 California

1937 Cleveland Ohio

1937 El Monte California

1937 NYC

1937 Sacramento California

1937 San Francisco California

1937 Truckee California

1937 Tryon North Carolina

1937 Vacaville California

1937 Virginia City California

1938 Atlantic City New Jersey

1938 Blackwater Falls West Virginia

1938 Bonneville Dam Oregon

1938 Bucks Lake California

1938 California

1938 Cleveland Ohio

1938 Colorado

1938 Cumberland Maryland

1938 El Dorado City California

1938 Fort Ross California

1938 Mount Washington New Hampshire

1938 New Jersey

1938 Oroville California

1938 Quebec Canada

1938 Reading Pennsylvania

1938 Vineland New Jersey

1938 Washington

1938 West Virginia

1938 Winchester Maryland

1939 California

1939 Chelan Washington

1939 Clear Lake California

1939 Cleveland Ohio

1939 Colorado

1939 Danielson Connecticut

1939 Lake Tahoe California

1939 Long Lake Canada

1939 Michigan

1939 Montana

1939 Mount Washington New Hampshire

1930s collections by year and place

1933 Colorado (21)
1935 Colorado (12)
1936 California (342)
1936 Denver Colorado (10)
1937 Albany New York (41)
1937 Beachwood New Jersey (40)
1937 Bend Oregon (87)
1937 California (1,074)
1937 Cleveland Ohio (147)
1937 El Monte California (48)
1937 New York City (6)
1937 Sacramento California (195)
1937 San Francisco California (184)
1937 Truckee California (89)
1937 Tryon North Carolina (24)
1937 Vacaville California (82)
1937 Virginia City California (55)
1938 Atlantic City New Jersey (83)
1938 Blackwater Falls West Virginia (34)
1938 Bonneville Dam Oregon (53)
1938 Bucks Lake California (106)
1938 California (415)
1938 Cleveland Ohio (147)
1938 Colorado (48)
1938 Cumberland Maryland (67)
1938 El Dorado City California (34)
1938 Fort Ross California (60)
1938 Mount Washington New Hampshire (92)
1938 New Jersey (269)
1938 Oroville California (50)
1938 Quebec Canada (43)
1938 Reading Pennsylvania (59)
1938 Vineland New Jersey (59)
1938 Washington (304)
1938 West Virginia (257)
1938 Winchester Maryland (192)
1939 California (705)
1939 Chelan Washington (328)
1939 Clear Lake California (149)
1939 Cleveland Ohio (137)
1939 Colorado (116)
1939 Danielson Connecticut (214)
1939 Lake Tahoe California (145)
1939 Long Lake Canada (195)
1939 Michigan (55)
1939 Montana (192)
1939 Mount Washington New Hampshire (86)
1939 New York (505)
1939 Paris France (322)
1939 San Francisco California (161)
1939 Utah (122)
1939 Washington (486)
1939 Wyoming (360)

How to license 1930s footage

Every one of the 5,794 direct clips is $149 for a royalty-free, worldwide license with no expiry and no attribution required. Checkout delivers the 4K master file, and the clip page shows the source reel and date confidence before you buy. The licensing guide covers editorial, broadcast and commercial use in detail.

Frequently asked questions

How much 1930s footage does Stockfilm have?

7,866 clips filmed between 1930 and 1939. 5,794 of them can be licensed directly on this site at $149 each; the rest are listed through marketplace partners. The clips come from 15 original reels and the counts update as more reels are scanned.

Is 1930s footage in color or black and white?

Both. Of the 3,793 1930s clips whose keywords name a stock, 3,216 (85%) are tagged black and white and 577 (15%) color. Kodachrome 8mm has been on sale since 1936, so color and black and white stock overlap in this decade. Each clip page and preview shows the actual stock.

Was Super 8 used in the 1930s?

No. Super 8 launched in 1965, so 1930s home movies are Standard 8mm, the gauge introduced in 1932. Of the 15 source reels behind this decade, 15 are logged as 8mm.

Can I license 1930s footage for a documentary?

Yes. The 5,794 direct clips are $149 each for a royalty-free, worldwide, perpetual license that covers documentary, news, streaming and education, delivered as a 4K master. Commercial use (advertising, branded content, broadcast promotion) applies only to clips marked Commercial; clips marked Editorial only stay editorial. Each clip page shows its status, and the licensing guide lists the full terms. Read the licensing guide.

How do you know the year a 1930s clip was filmed?

The year comes from the source reel and from what is on the film, and each clip page shows a confidence level for its date rather than an absolute claim. 5,080 of the 7,866 1930s clips also carry a city. The archive integrity page explains the method. Read about archive integrity.

Which countries does the 1930s footage cover?

5 countries and 82 named cities. The largest are United States (7,272 clips), France (329 clips), Canada (238 clips), Germany (26 clips) and Panama (1 clips). The tables above link every leading country and city to its own page.

How long are the 1930s clips?

Clips run from 3 to 31 seconds, with a median of 5 seconds. A 50 ft Standard 8 reel holds only three to four minutes at 16 frames per second, so home movies were shot as short scenes, and each clip is one of those scenes.

Which 1930s year has the most footage?

1939, with 3,533 clips, 2,704 of them licensable directly. The year by year table lists all ten years with their counts and links to the collections for each.