California USA-1939: Industrial Machinery and Workers in Early 20th Century Construction

$149 · CommercialDirect license: commercial and editorial use. $149 flat from Stockfilm. Royalty-free worldwide license for commercial and editorial use, delivered as the restored 4K master.

Year1939
Decade1930s
LocationCalifornia, United States
Duration5s
Price$149 USD
Collection1939 California

$149 · CommercialDirect license: commercial and editorial use

$149 USD flat · royalty-free worldwide · 4K restored master (MP4)

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Stockfilm licenses the rights identified in the applicable agreement. Additional use-specific review may be required. See the Licensing Guide and Archive Integrity.

Industrial Machinery and Workers in Early 20th Century... — Clip Details

Vintage 8mm home movie footage from California, USA, in 1939, showing early industrial machinery in operation. Men in period attire operate a large mechanical device, likely a road grader or construction equipment, with another worker visible on a tractor nearby. The grainy black-and-white film exhibits classic Super 8 characteristics, including film grain, edge damage, and soft focus, capturing a moment of mid-20th century industrial labor. The scene conveys a sense of historical progress and manual labor during the Great Depression era.

Licensing & Technical Details

Original Format: 8mm / Super 8 Home Movie
Shot details: Black & white
Resolution: 4K restored master (MP4)
License: Direct license: commercial and editorial use
Delivery: Instant Digital Download
Duration: 5s
Price: $149 USD
Clip ID: 121487400

Rights & Clearance

$149 · Commercial Direct license: commercial and editorial use. $149 flat from Stockfilm. Royalty-free worldwide license for commercial and editorial use, delivered as the restored 4K master.

Editorial use is the safest path. For commercial use, a clearance review is recommended for the flags below.

People visible: Yes
Minors visible: No
Logos / trademarks: No
Audible music: No

Flags come from automated catalog metadata, not a legal opinion. The source is an original 8mm / Super 8 Home Movie reel. For high-stakes commercial use, request a full rights review.

Source & Documentation

Source reel: Reel 1166 · 8mm · 5″ reel
Original reel label: may
Reel-level year note: 1939
Reel-level location note: california
Date: 1939 Estimated (Catalog estimate from the footage and file metadata; not independently confirmed.)
Date evidence: Catalog estimate. A reel-level note shows the same year, but the clip-to-reel link is itself a catalog match, so this is not counted as independent confirmation.
Location: California, United States Estimated (Catalog estimate from the footage and file metadata; not independently confirmed.)
Location evidence: Catalog estimate. A reel-level location note is linked, but the clip-to-reel link is itself a catalog match, so this is not counted as independent confirmation.
Licensing route: Direct license available from Stockfilm

Confidence labels are defined on Archive Integrity. Fields without a recorded value are shown as not recorded rather than assumed.

View source reel context Open Clip Documentation Record Request source information

Topics & Keywords

Archive Intelligence

Archive brief fit: 1930s California 8mm footage suited to documentary or museum edits needing period construction machinery, roadwork, and industrial labor atmosphere.
Period detail: The frames show men in work clothing operating tractor-drawn machinery, with open land and utilitarian equipment consistent with late-1930s construction or road work.
Home-movie behavior: The clip has an observational home-movie feel, watching workers and machines from a distance rather than staging action for the camera.
What appears in frame: Visible elements include a tractor, a large grader-like machine, standing and seated workers, metal wheels, levers, open ground, dust, and soft horizon lines.
Film character: The 8mm scan carries soft focus, visible grain, gate edges, scratches, and slight exposure unevenness that support its physical home-movie character.
Edit role: An editor could use this as a brief cutaway, transition, or industrial memory beat in a sequence about infrastructure, labor, or Depression-era work.
Historical context: The footage visually places manual workers alongside mechanized equipment, suggesting everyday construction labor without identifying a specific project or site.
Research note: People are visible at a distance, so likeness review may be needed; no logos are apparent, and copyright status should be assessed separately from depicted persons.
Research search match: Useful searches include 1939 California 8mm construction machinery, 1930s road grader footage, home movie industrial labor, and vintage tractor work scene.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with adjacent footage from the same reel, then California 1939 material, then broader 1930s construction, machinery, or public-works labor clips.

Still Frames From This Clip

California 1939 home-movie frame showing several workers on a large grader-like construction machine in open ground. — Workers gather on a large construction machine during outdoor road or grading work.

California 1939 frame with a tractor and a large grader-like machine, both carrying or attended by workers. — A tractor and larger machine move through an open work area with workers visible.

California 1939 home-movie view of a tractor beside heavy construction equipment with workers positioned on both machines. — Tractor and heavy equipment appear side by side in a brief industrial work view.

California 1939 frame showing a worker standing on a large grader-like machine, with metal arms and wheels visible. — A worker stands on heavy grading equipment in an open outdoor setting.

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