Chicago Illinois-1957: Polar Bear In Zoo Enclosure Behind Bars

$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.

Year1957
Decade1950s
LocationChicago, Illinois, United States
Duration5s
Price$149 USD

$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.

Polar Bear In Zoo Enclosure Behind Bars — Clip Details

Shot on 8mm film in 1957, this vintage home movie captures a polar bear in a zoo enclosure, viewed through dark metal bars. The large white bear moves slowly within its concrete habitat, its thick fur and dark nose visible through the vertical bars. The footage has a grainy, nostalgic quality with muted colors typical of mid-century amateur film. The bear appears calm, occasionally shifting its head, offering a poignant glimpse into mid-20th century zoo life and animal captivity. This archival footage provides a historical look at wildlife display practices.

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: 124936182

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 2302 · 8mm · 3″ reel
Original reel label: tw ross
Reel-level year note: 1957
Reel-level location note: morton illinois
Date: 1957 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: Chicago, Illinois, 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: 1950s 8mm zoo footage suited for documentary or educational edits about animal display, urban leisure, captivity, or mid-century visitor perspectives.
Period detail: The barred concrete enclosure and muted 8mm color may show mid-century zoo viewing conditions, with no visible signage or landmarks to identify the exact facility.
Home-movie behavior: The clip carries an unstaged visitor-shot viewpoint, observing the bear through enclosure bars from a brief, handheld distance.
What appears in frame: Visible elements include a white polar bear, vertical black metal bars, concrete walls, a shaded enclosure floor, soft daylight, and film-edge darkness.
Film character: The footage has grain, slight blur, muted color, uneven exposure, and handheld framing consistent with scanned amateur 8mm home-movie material.
Edit role: An editor could use this as a short cutaway, memory beat, or visual insert when discussing zoos, animal captivity, or historical wildlife display.
Historical context: The frames provide visual context for a polar bear displayed behind bars in a sparse enclosure, without showing visitors or broader zoo grounds.
Research note: No people, logos, or readable signage are visible, but copyright, archive licensing, and any zoo-property considerations should still be reviewed.
Research search match: Useful search matches include 1950s 8mm polar bear zoo footage, Chicago zoo enclosure home movie, and mid-century animal captivity archival clip.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with adjacent same-reel zoo or family outing shots, then Chicago 1957 material, then broader 1950s wildlife or zoo-enclosure footage.

Still Frames From This Clip

1957 Chicago 8mm frame of a white polar bear partly obscured by dark vertical bars inside a concrete zoo enclosure. — A polar bear stands behind metal bars in a concrete enclosure.

The polar bear turns in profile behind the barred zoo enclosure.

1957 Chicago 8mm frame of a polar bear moving close to the bars, with its head lowered inside the concrete habitat. — The bear lowers its head near the front bars of the enclosure.

1957 Chicago 8mm frame with the polar bear in side view behind vertical bars, its white fur bright against the concrete enclosure. — A side view of the polar bear fills the right side behind bars.

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