Chicago Illinois-1957: Bear In Cage At Zoo

$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.

Bear In Cage At Zoo — Clip Details

Shot on 8mm film in 1957, this vintage home movie captures a large bear pacing within a concrete zoo enclosure, viewed through thick vertical metal bars. The bear, with dark fur and a white muzzle, moves slowly across the enclosure, its form partially obscured by the cage structure. The footage exhibits classic Super 8 grain, warm color tones, and natural lighting, offering a nostalgic glimpse into mid-century zoo life. The bear appears calm but confined, with its movements restricted by the bars. This archival clip provides authentic, unscripted footage of a zoo animal in a historic setting.

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: 124936192

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: Useful for 1950s documentary or educational edits needing authentic home-movie footage of zoo confinement and animal display practices in Chicago.
Period detail: The metal-bar enclosure, concrete surfaces, and 8mm color stock may show mid-century zoo viewing conditions without identifying a specific facility.
Home-movie behavior: The clip carries a visitor-shot perspective, watching the bear through bars with brief obstruction from the camera-side viewing area.
What appears in frame: Visible elements include a dark bear, heavy vertical cage bars, concrete enclosure walls, shadowed floor, bright exterior light, and a partial visitor figure near the lens.
Film character: The footage has soft 8mm grain, slight exposure bloom, handheld framing, and muted color that support its physical home-movie character.
Edit role: An editor could use this as a short cutaway, memory beat, or transition into stories about zoos, animal captivity, childhood visits, or mid-century leisure.
Historical context: The visible scene suggests a public zoo visit and shows an animal viewed through restrictive bars, reflecting an older style of enclosure presentation.
Research note: No logos are visible, but the partial visitor and zoo setting may still require review for copyright, likeness, location, and property considerations.
Research search match: Search matches include 1957 8mm Chicago zoo bear cage, vintage home movie zoo animal, and mid-century bear enclosure footage.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with adjacent shots from the same reel, then other Chicago 1957 zoo footage, then broader 1950s zoo or animal captivity material.

Still Frames From This Clip

1957 Chicago zoo home-movie frame showing a dark bear partly obscured by heavy vertical cage bars. — A bear stands behind thick cage bars in a sunlit concrete enclosure.

Dark bear in a barred zoo enclosure, filmed from a visitor viewpoint in Chicago in 1957. — The bear paces near the back wall while cage bars dominate the foreground.

Visitor-shot 1957 Chicago zoo frame with a partial person at left and a bear behind metal bars. — A partial visitor figure appears near the lens while the bear remains behind the bars.

Close barred view of a dark bear with a pale muzzle inside a 1957 Chicago zoo enclosure. — The bear is framed tightly behind the bars, with its pale muzzle visible.

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