San Francisco California-1939: The Bridge Spans Wide

$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.

Year1939
Decade1930s
LocationSan Francisco, California, United States
Duration6s
Price$149 USD
Collection1939 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.

The Bridge Spans Wide — Clip Details

Shot on 8mm film in 1939, this vintage home movie captures a wide view of the San Francisco Bay with a prominent suspension bridge spanning the water. The grainy black-and-white footage shows a bustling waterfront with tugboats and barges moving beneath the bridge's massive structure. The camera remains steady, offering a nostalgic glimpse of early 20th-century transportation and engineering. The image is framed by the dark edges of a film projector, enhancing its authentic archival feel. This historic footage is ideal for documentaries, editorial content, and nostalgic projects exploring American infrastructure and mid-century life.

Licensing & Technical Details

Original Format: 8mm / Super 8 Home Movie
Shot details: Black & white
Resolution: 4K restored master (MP4)
License: Direct license: commercial and editorial use
Delivery: Instant Digital Download
Duration: 6s
Price: $149 USD
Clip ID: 127270301

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 1166 · 8mm · 5″ reel
Original reel label: may
Reel-level year note: 1939
Reel-level location note: california
Date: 1939 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: 1930s San Francisco home-movie footage for documentary or educational edits needing a wide bay bridge and waterfront transportation view.
Period detail: The tall suspension towers, low waterfront buildings, and small working boats may show late-1930s Bay Area infrastructure from a visitor vantage.
Home-movie behavior: The steady distant framing suggests a home-movie operator recording a notable landmark from across the water rather than staged activity.
What appears in frame: Visible elements include a suspension bridge, bay water, bridge towers, waterfront roofs, small boats, barges, and dark film gate edges.
Film character: Soft black-and-white 8mm grain, mild exposure variation, dust specks, and projector-edge framing give the shot a physical home-movie texture.
Edit role: An editor could use this as an establishing insert, infrastructure cutaway, waterfront transition, or quiet memory beat for San Francisco material.
Historical context: The view places the bridge within a working waterfront setting, with boats and shoreline structures emphasizing transport around the bay.
Research note: No people, logos, or audible music are indicated, but landmark, copyright, and location-use questions should still be reviewed for the intended project.
Research search match: Useful searches include 1939 San Francisco Bay bridge home movie, 8mm waterfront footage, suspension bridge over bay, and vintage California transportation.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with adjacent shots from the same reel, then 1939 San Francisco material, then broader bridge, bay, tugboat, and waterfront transportation footage.

Still Frames From This Clip

1939 San Francisco home-movie frame showing a suspension bridge across the bay above low waterfront structures. — A distant bay bridge spans the water above the San Francisco waterfront.

1939 San Francisco frame with a broad suspension bridge view, hazy bay water, and low waterfront buildings at the bottom edge. — The bridge stretches across the bay in a hazy wide shot.

1939 San Francisco Bay frame showing bridge towers over the water, with small boats and industrial waterfront roofs below. — Bridge towers rise over bay traffic and waterfront roofs.

1939 San Francisco home-movie frame showing bridge towers, bay water, small vessels, and waterfront structures. — Small vessels move beneath the bridge near the shoreline.

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