San Francisco California-1952: Two Cargo Ships Crossing in Harbor

$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)

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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.

Two Cargo Ships Crossing in Harbor — Clip Details

Shot on 8mm film in 1952, this vintage home movie captures two large cargo ships crossing paths in a bustling harbor. Viewed from an elevated vantage point, the scene shows the vessels moving across deep blue water, with industrial port buildings and docks visible in the foreground. The footage exhibits classic Super 8 characteristics: soft focus, film grain, and a slightly faded color palette with prominent blue tones. The ships, likely freighters or tankers, create subtle wakes as they navigate the harbor, offering a nostalgic glimpse into mid-century maritime activity and commercial shipping.

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: 123341363

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.

No recognizable people, logos, or music are flagged. Lower-risk for commercial use, subject to your own review.

People 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 context Open Clip Documentation Record Request source information

Topics & Keywords

Archive Intelligence

Archive brief fit: Useful for 1950s San Francisco harbor or maritime commerce requests needing brief editorial cutaways of cargo vessels moving through port waters.
Period detail: The elevated harbor view, large working ships, dock roofs, and faded 8mm color may show mid-century commercial waterfront activity in San Francisco.
Home-movie behavior: The clip has a visitor-shot vantage point from above the water, observing ship movement without staging or apparent interaction with the camera.
What appears in frame: Visible elements include two large ships, blue harbor water, dock or pier structures, low waterfront buildings, ship wakes, and film-frame borders.
Film character: Soft focus, blue color shift, visible grain, dust marks, and slight exposure variation give the scan a recognizable 8mm home-movie texture.
Edit role: An editor could use this as a short establishing insert, maritime transition, port activity cutaway, or memory beat within a 1950s California sequence.
Historical context: The footage visually places commercial shipping in an urban bay setting, with vessels and dock infrastructure seen from a distant elevated viewpoint.
Research note: No people, logos, or readable brands are visible, but copyright status and any property or vessel identification should be reviewed before reuse.
Research search match: Matches searches for 1952 8mm San Francisco harbor footage, vintage cargo ships crossing, mid-century port cutaway, and home-movie maritime scene.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with nearby shots from the same reel, then other 1952 San Francisco waterfront footage, then broader vintage shipping or harbor activity clips.

Still Frames From This Clip

1952 San Francisco harbor view with large working ships crossing the water beyond docks, seen in soft 8mm color. — Large ships pass through the harbor beyond waterfront docks.

Elevated 1952 San Francisco harbor view showing two cargo vessels moving across blue water near foreground pier structures. — Cargo vessels move across the bay from an elevated viewpoint.

Soft 8mm frame of San Francisco harbor in 1952, with two large ships passing behind dock roofs and low port buildings. — Two large vessels pass behind the waterfront dock area.

1952 San Francisco harbor frame with distant working ships, foreground dock structures, blue water, and visible dust on the 8mm scan. — Distant ships move through the harbor as film dust marks the frame.

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