Ringling Brothers Sarasota Florida-1948: Highwire Trapeze Artist Performance In

$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.

Year1948
Decade1940s
LocationRingling Brothers Sarasota, Florida, United States
Duration5s
Price$149 USD
Collection1948 Ringling Brothers Sarasota Florida

$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.

Highwire Trapeze Artist Performance In — Clip Details

Shot on 8mm film in 1948, this archival footage captures a highwire trapeze artist performing at the Ringling Brothers circus in Sarasota, Florida. The grainy black-and-white images show silhouetted performers against a bright backdrop, with the intricate rigging of the big top visible. The camera remains fixed, focusing on the aerial acrobatics and the complex network of cables and poles. The footage exhibits classic Super 8 film characteristics, including soft focus and natural grain, offering a nostalgic glimpse into mid-century circus entertainment.

Licensing & Technical Details

Original Format: 8mm / Super 8 Home Movie
Shot details: AerialBlack & white
Resolution: 4K restored master (MP4)
License: Direct license: commercial and editorial use
Delivery: Instant Digital Download
Duration: 5s
Price: $149 USD
Clip ID: 124604514

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 record not linked for this clip
Date: 1948 Estimated (Catalog estimate from the footage and file metadata; not independently confirmed.)
Date evidence: Catalog estimate based on source metadata and visual or technical evidence; no reel-level note is linked.
Location: Ringling Brothers Sarasota, Florida, United States Estimated (Catalog estimate from the footage and file metadata; not independently confirmed.)
Location evidence: Catalog estimate based on source metadata and visual evidence such as signage, landmarks, or terrain; no reel-level note is linked.
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.

Open Clip Documentation Record Request source information

Topics & Keywords

Archive Intelligence

Archive brief fit: Useful for 1940s circus, aerial performance, or Sarasota entertainment sequences needing brief real 8mm audience-shot coverage.
Period detail: The silhouetted trapeze rigging and big-top structure may show a mid-century circus performance consistent with the 1948 Sarasota metadata.
Home-movie behavior: The fixed, distant framing reflects a visitor trying to record aerial action from the audience rather than a staged production setup.
What appears in frame: Visible elements include trapeze bars, high wires, tent poles, overhead rigging, silhouetted performers, bright canvas, and dark frame edges.
Film character: The footage has soft 8mm focus, high-contrast exposure, visible grain, and gate-edge darkness that give it a physical home-movie texture.
Edit role: An editor could use this as a brief insert, atmospheric cutaway, or memory beat within a circus, performance, or mid-century recreation sequence.
Historical context: The clip visually places aerial circus labor and spectacle inside a large tent, with performers reduced to silhouettes against the bright canopy.
Research note: People appear only as distant silhouettes, but likeness, copyright, and any venue or circus-related rights should be reviewed separately.
Research search match: Matches searches for 1948 8mm circus footage, Ringling Brothers Sarasota trapeze, vintage highwire act, and black-and-white big top rigging.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with adjacent shots from the same reel, then other 1948 Sarasota circus material, then broader vintage trapeze and big-top audience footage.

Still Frames From This Clip

1948 Sarasota circus footage showing dark trapeze lines, poles, and small silhouetted performers against a bright big-top canopy. — Trapeze rigging and distant performers appear in silhouette under the tent roof.

Distant trapeze performers and rigging are silhouetted inside the Ringling Brothers Sarasota big top, according to clip metadata. — Small aerial figures are visible among the wires and trapeze bars.

Soft 8mm frame of trapeze apparatus and distant circus performers silhouetted beneath the bright tent canopy. — The camera holds on the rigging as aerial action continues in silhouette.

Final frame shows multiple trapeze lines, support poles, and distant silhouetted performers inside the 1948 Sarasota circus tent. — Multiple rigging lines and trapeze bars fill the frame around distant performers.

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