Washington DC-1948: Polar Bear in Zoo Enclosure

$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
LocationWashington, DC, United States
Duration5s
Price$149 USD
Collection1946 Washington DC

$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 — Clip Details

Shot on 8mm film in 1948, this vintage home movie captures a polar bear in its zoo enclosure in Washington DC. The bear sits calmly behind a low hedge and chain-link fence, with a rocky backdrop and a small sign visible. The footage exhibits classic Super 8 characteristics: soft focus, natural color fading, and film grain, offering a nostalgic glimpse into mid-century zoo life and wildlife observation.

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: 127728165

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 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: Washington, DC, 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: 1940s 8mm Washington, DC zoo footage for productions needing a brief wildlife, animal-care, or visitor-observation cutaway from a mid-century home movie.
Period detail: The low hedge, chain-link barrier, small enclosure sign, and artificial rockwork may show mid-century zoo display design, supported by the 1948 Washington, DC metadata.
Home-movie behavior: The clip reflects a visitor's steady home-movie attention on a seated polar bear, with the animal framed from behind public viewing barriers rather than staged for camera.
What appears in frame: Visible elements include a polar bear, low trimmed hedge, chain-link fence, grassy foreground, small posted sign, and pale rock enclosure backdrop.
Film character: The 8mm scan carries soft focus, uneven exposure, muted color, dust specks, and slight frame instability that read as physical home-movie texture.
Edit role: An editor could use this as a short insert, observational cutaway, zoo memory beat, or transition within sequences about animals, public recreation, or Washington, DC family travel.
Historical context: The footage visually places a polar bear within a public zoo setting, offering context for how visitors recorded captive wildlife in a brief postwar-era home movie scene.
Research note: No people, logos, or audible music are indicated, but copyright, archive license terms, and any zoo property or animal-exhibit concerns should still be reviewed before use.
Research search match: Useful search matches include 1948 8mm polar bear zoo footage, Washington DC vintage home movie animal enclosure, and mid-century zoo wildlife cutaway.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with adjacent shots from the same reel, then other 1948 Washington, DC footage, then zoo, animal, wildlife, or family travel home-movie material.

Still Frames From This Clip

1948 Washington, DC home-movie frame of a polar bear sitting behind a hedge and chain-link barrier with pale rockwork behind it. — A polar bear sits low in its zoo enclosure behind a hedge and fence.

1948 Washington, DC zoo footage frame showing the seated polar bear centered behind the viewing barrier and enclosure planting. — The bear remains seated near the hedge as the enclosure sign stands to the right.

1948 Washington, DC home-movie frame with the polar bear partly softened by focus and film wear behind a fence and hedge. — Soft focus and film specks give the zoo enclosure view a home-movie texture.

Final 1948 Washington, DC frame of the seated polar bear, with fence, hedge, sign, and rocky enclosure still visible. — The short clip ends with the bear still seated behind the public viewing barrier.

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