San Francisco California-1939: Steamship Emitting Smoke Under Cloudy Sky

$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.

Steamship Emitting Smoke Under Cloudy Sky — Clip Details

A grainy, black-and-white 8mm home movie from 1939 captures a steamship on the water under a cloudy sky. The footage, shot from a distance, shows the vessel emitting thick smoke from its stacks as it moves through the water. The image is framed by the characteristic dark borders of an 8mm film projection, with visible film grain, scratches, and slight flicker, evoking a strong sense of historical nostalgia. The scene is calm and observational, typical of personal travel footage from the era.

Licensing & Technical Details

Original Format: 8mm / Super 8 Home Movie
Shot details: ExteriorBlack & white
Resolution: 4K restored master (MP4)
License: Direct license: commercial and editorial use
Delivery: Instant Digital Download
Duration: 6s
Price: $149 USD
Clip ID: 127270417

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 waterfront home-movie footage for documentary, museum, education, or editorial sequences needing distant steamship activity on cloudy water.
Period detail: The distant black steamship, heavy smoke, monochrome 8mm texture, and metadata-supported 1939 San Francisco setting place the view in a late-1930s waterfront travel context.
Home-movie behavior: The clip reflects a visitor-shot or personal observation from shore, holding on a passing vessel rather than staging action or identifying people.
What appears in frame: Visible elements include a smoking steamship, open water, cloudy sky, distant shoreline or hills, dark projection borders, film grain, scratches, and a brief title-card fragment.
Film character: The footage has a soft black-and-white 8mm character with heavy grain, edge shadowing, flicker, exposure variation, and visible physical-film marks.
Edit role: An editor could use this as a waterfront cutaway, period transition, travel-memory beat, or atmospheric insert for maritime San Francisco material.
Historical context: The scene visually documents everyday harbor observation from a personal camera, showing steam-era water traffic without identifiable passengers, crew, or landmarks.
Research note: No people, logos, or private property are visible, but copyright status, location identification, and vessel identification should still be reviewed before use.
Research search match: Useful search phrases include 1939 San Francisco steamship, 1930s harbor home movie, black-and-white 8mm waterfront, and smoky ship on cloudy water.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with adjacent reel material, then other 1939 San Francisco waterfront shots, then broader 1930s maritime, harbor, or travel home-movie footage.

Still Frames From This Clip

Black-and-white 8mm frame showing a partial title-card or leader fragment with the letters A U L A visible. — Partial title or leader frame with visible letters before the ship view.

Overexposed black-and-white 8mm frame with pale field, dark borders, and minimal visible detail. — Bright exposed frame with dark film borders and little readable subject detail.

1939 San Francisco 8mm view of a distant steamship on the water, with smoke rising against a cloudy sky. — Distant smoking steamship on the water beneath a cloudy sky.

Distant 1939 San Francisco waterfront view with a smoking steamship, open water, and soft hills in the background. — Steamship at a distance with smoke drifting above the waterline.

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