Skip to content
Stockfilm logo
Search
Home / Clips / ...
Skip to content
Stockfilm logo
Search
Home/Browse/San Francisco California-1952: Old Video Showcases A City By The Water And A

San Francisco California-1952: Old Video Showcases A City By The Water And A

$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.

  • Year1952
  • Decade1950s
  • LocationSan Francisco, California, United States
  • Duration5s
  • Price$149 USD
  • Collection1952 San Francisco California

$149 · CommercialDirect license: commercial and editorial use

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

Boards
Need 10+ clips? Send your brief and get a curated shortlist →

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

Old Video Showcases A City By The Water And A — Clip Details

Shot on 8mm film in 1952, this vintage home movie captures a hazy view of San Francisco's skyline across the water, likely from a boat. The frame is bordered by dark window trim, with the top of a person's head visible in the foreground, suggesting a passenger's perspective. The cityscape appears distant and slightly blurred under a pale sky, with a tall tower visible among the buildings. The footage exhibits classic Super 8 grain, color shifts, and subtle camera movement, evoking a nostalgic mid-century travel memory. This archival clip is ideal for documentaries, editorial content, or nostalgic projects exploring 1950s Americana and urban history.

Licensing & Technical Details

Original Format
8mm / Super 8 Home Movie
Resolution
4K restored master (MP4)
License
Direct license: commercial and editorial use
Delivery
Instant Digital Download
Duration
5s
Price
$149 USD
Clip ID
123341018

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 1234 · 8mm · 5″ reel
Original reel label
miss universe
Reel-level year note
1952
Reel-level location note
california
Date
1952 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
San Francisco, 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 contextOpen Clip Documentation RecordRequest source information

Topics & Keywords

  • tourism
  • city
  • water
  • people
  • video
  • showcases
  • tour
  • group
  • buildings
  • landmarks
  • ship oversee navy recruit
  • 1952
  • 1952 San Francisco
  • vintage 8mm film
  • 1950s cityscape
  • waterfront view
  • boat perspective
  • Super 8 home movie
  • archival footage
  • classic film
  • city skyline
  • water view
  • 1950s travel
  • nostalgic footage
  • old film
  • grainy footage
  • vintage travel
  • historical footage
  • San Francisco 1952
  • 8mm home movie
  • retro footage
  • vintage city

Archive Intelligence

Archive brief fit
1950s San Francisco waterfront home-movie footage for productions needing a brief visitor-view city skyline insert or travel-memory cutaway.
Period detail
The distant skyline, open water, boat-like framing, and soft 8mm color may show a mid-century tourist approach to San Francisco from across the bay.
Home-movie behavior
The camera appears to record from a passenger position, with a partial head in the foreground reinforcing an unstaged travel or sightseeing viewpoint.
What appears in frame
Visible elements include bay water, a hazy city skyline, pale sky, dark window or rail framing, a partial passenger head, film dust, and slight handheld drift.
Film character
The clip has 8mm grain, muted blue color shifts, soft focus, gate edges, dust marks, and gentle handheld movement typical of scanned home-movie film.
Edit role
An editor could use this as a short establishing insert, waterfront transition, travel-memory beat, or atmospheric cutaway before or after San Francisco material.
Historical context
The footage visually places a small-group or passenger viewpoint against San Francisco's waterfront skyline without documenting a specific civic event.
Research note
People are only partially visible, but likeness review may still be needed; no logos are apparent, and copyright clearance is separate from location or likeness issues.
Research search match
Useful search matches include 1950s San Francisco skyline 8mm, bay water city view, vintage California travel film, and home movie from boat.
Archive pairing path
Pair first with adjacent shots from the same reel, then other 1952 San Francisco views, then broader 1950s California tourism or waterfront travel footage.

Still Frames From This Clip

1952 San Francisco skyline seen across the water from a visitor viewpoint, with dark frame edges and a partial head in the foreground.
Distant San Francisco skyline across the bay, viewed through dark framing with a passenger partly visible.
Hazy San Francisco waterfront skyline over bay water, framed by dark vertical edges with a partial passenger head visible below.
Waterfront skyline remains distant and soft, with the passenger viewpoint still apparent at the lower edge.
1952 bay view toward San Francisco, showing a soft waterfront skyline, pale sky, film dust, and a partial passenger at the lower edge.
The city sits low on the horizon across calm water, with visible dust marks from the film scan.
Distant San Francisco skyline across the bay, softly rendered on 8mm film with dark borders and a partial passenger head below.
A final hazy skyline view across the water, bordered by dark frame edges and foreground passenger detail.

Visually Similar Clips

← Previous in archiveSan Francisco California-1952: Woman On Boat In San Francisco Bay Mountains AndNext in archive →San Francisco California-1952: People Riding On A Boat Past The Hilly Shoreline
Stockfilm logo

Real 8mm and Super 8 home movies restored for documentary, agency, museum, and production work. Preserving family film since 2015, and built to stay online for the next hundred years.

Explore

  • Browse
  • Project footage
  • Curated Collections
  • Top 100 Clips
  • Comedies
  • By Decade
  • Archive Index

By Decade

  • 1930s
  • 1940s
  • 1950s
  • 1960s
  • 1970s
  • 1980s

License

  • Licensing Guide
  • Marketplaces
  • Compare Sources
  • Request Footage
  • AI Training Data
  • FAQ

Create

  • AI Clip Analyzer
  • Rough Cut Builder
  • Footage Brief
  • Can You Show It?
  • Project Boards
  • Filmmaker Tools
  • Documentary Grant

For Professionals

  • For Archival Producers
  • APA Member Benefit
  • Archive Integrity
  • Visual Memory Index
  • Archive Methodology
  • Licensing Guide
  • Submit a Production Brief
  • Contact Stockfilm

Learn

  • TimeFly: A Fly Brain Watches 1963
  • Blog
  • Visual Memory Index
  • AI Restoration Research
  • Case Studies
  • Resources & Guides
  • How We Preserve

About

  • About Us
  • Speaking & Interviews
  • Press Kit
  • For Librarians
  • The 100-Year Commitment
  • Partner Program
  • Contact
  • Careers

Follow

FacebookXLinkedInYouTube
© 2026 Stockfilm, 2823 Callan Ct, Broomfield, Colorado 80023, USAFor AI AgentsDigital DeliveryReturns & RefundsPrivacy PolicyTerms & ConditionsCompliance

Discover Related Footage

Same Location, Different Era

More from United States across other decades

California USA-1953: Back On The Island Of Trinidad And Tobago In 1961California USA-1953: Back On The Island Of Trinidad And Tobago In 19611961 · California, United States$149 · CommercialLynbrook New York-1971: Christmas Tree Presents Under A Green Tree On ChristmasLynbrook New York-1971: Christmas Tree Presents Under A Green Tree On Christmas1971 · Lynbrook, New York, United States$149 · CommercialLynbrook New York-1971: Christmas Gifts and Toys on a TableLynbrook New York-1971: Christmas Gifts and Toys on a Table1971 · Lynbrook, New York, United States$149 · CommercialLynbrook New York-1971: Peek At The Gifts Received Right After Unwrapping In TheLynbrook New York-1971: Peek At The Gifts Received Right After Unwrapping In The1971 · Lynbrook, New York, United States$149 · Commercial

Same Era, Different Location

1950s footage from around the world

Le Mans France-1954: Man Walking Down Stairs With A Flag And Men Unloading ALe Mans France-1954: Man Walking Down Stairs With A Flag And Men Unloading A1954 · Le Mans, France$149 · Editorial onlyLe Mans France-1954: Public Monitors The Preparation Of Cars On The Race TrackLe Mans France-1954: Public Monitors The Preparation Of Cars On The Race Track1954 · Le Mans, France$149 · CommercialLe Mans France-1954: Supplies Being Moved From Trailers By WorkersLe Mans France-1954: Supplies Being Moved From Trailers By Workers1954 · Le Mans, France$149 · CommercialLe Mans France-1954: Spectators Gather Around Race Car At Grand PrixLe Mans France-1954: Spectators Gather Around Race Car At Grand Prix1954 · Le Mans, France$149 · Editorial only

Most Similar Clips

1950s footage also from United States

(8mm Vintage) 1955 Waikiki Beach Hawaii Longboard Surfing(8mm Vintage) 1955 Waikiki Beach Hawaii Longboard Surfing1955 · Hawaii, United StatesPond51951: Big Family at Crowded Dinner Table Eat Italian Food.1951: Big Family at Crowded Dinner Table Eat Italian Food.1951 · Newark, New Jersey, United StatesPond51954: Statue of Liberty and the New York City skyline view.1954: Statue of Liberty and the New York City skyline view.1954 · New York City, United StatesPond5(8mm Vintage) 1950 Highway Driving Into St. Louis. USA(8mm Vintage) 1950 Highway Driving Into St. Louis. USA1950 · California, United StatesPond5

You May Also Like

Clips with similar subjects and themes

1968: United Nations Headquarters Building in New York City1968: United Nations Headquarters Building in New York City1968 · New York City, United StatesPond51961: Welcome Omaha Nebraska Sign on Brick Industrial Building.1961: Welcome Omaha Nebraska Sign on Brick Industrial Building.1961 · Omaha, Nebraska, United StatesPond51977: A Couple Stays in a Hotel Room in Las Vegas1977: A Couple Stays in a Hotel Room in Las Vegas1977 · Las Vegas, United StatesPond51965: Beautiful Building in Sunlit Kansas City Neighborhood1965: Beautiful Building in Sunlit Kansas City Neighborhood1965 · Kansas City, Missouri, United StatesPond5