A pause in the gag: the friends laugh together before the hold-up resumes.
1939 · California, United States
Still image · $49
This small preview is for browsing. Your licensed download is the full 4K image.
4K archival still image
The mock hold-up begins as the young man levels a stick at two women beside a steel tower, circa 1939 — California, 1939
$49 USD Full 4K image license
You’re licensing the 4K image3,840 × 2,160 pixels · JPEG
Extracted from the film scan master, not enlarged from the 256px preview.
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- 376 × 256 pixels
- Catalog year
- 1939
- Location
- California, United States
- Image
- Still 1 · 1.94s into the source clip
- License
- Editorial only
Editorial use only: documentary, news, educational, internal and organic social use. Not permitted in advertising, sponsored or branded content, broadcast promotion or any paid commercial placement.
One full-resolution still image is included. The source video is licensed separately.
Read the licensing guideAbout this image
Circa 1939, probably California: a young man starts a mock hold-up, aiming a stick at two women in print dresses beside a steel lattice tower.
The source is catalogued as 8mm home movie. This frame appears 1.94 seconds into the clip. Watch the source footage below to see the surrounding action.
Browsing preview376 × 256pixels · shown above
Licensed 4K image3840 × 2160pixels · JPEG download
About 86× as many pixels as the web preview. The master retains the original film’s grain, texture and condition.
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Other frames from this clip
A brief tussle over the prop as the woman in the floral dress raises both arms.
1939 · California, United States
Still image · $49
Hands up: both women surrender to the make-believe robber, circa 1939.
1939 · California, United States
Still image · $49
Source footage and archive context
California-1939: Young Man Stages a Mock Hold-Up of Two Women With a Stick
Watch the movement and surrounding scene in the source clip, or license the video separately.
Source format: 8mm home movie.
Browse the collection: 1939 California.
Date documentation · estimated
Catalog estimate based on source metadata and visual or technical evidence; no reel-level note is linked.
Location documentation · estimated
Catalog estimate based on source metadata and visual evidence such as signage, landmarks, or terrain; no reel-level note is linked.
Period detail
The women's floral and plaid day dresses, the white brimmed hat and the man's dark jacket over an open white shirt fit the late 1930s, consistent with the 1938-model Ford in the same scene.
Film character
Crisp black-and-white image with fine grain, hard sunlit contrast, handheld framing and soft darkening at the frame edges give it a clear period texture.
Historical context
The staged hold-up shows how friends in the late 1930s treated the home movie camera as an audience for small comic performances.
Research note
Copyright in the film is separate from likeness: the three faces are identifiable and unidentified, so publicity or commercial use needs its own clearance review, and the tower's owner is unknown.
Image licensing questions
What resolution will I download?
Your license includes the 3840 × 2160-pixel JPEG in full 4K resolution. The 376 × 256-pixel image on this page is a browsing preview. The licensed image is extracted from the scan master, not enlarged from the preview.
What does the $49 still-image license include?
It covers this one still image. This image is editorial only; commercial advertising and paid placements are not permitted. Choose the usage, territory and term at checkout. The source video is licensed separately.
Can I see the footage this image came from?
Yes. The source clip is “California-1939: Young Man Stages a Mock Hold-Up of Two Women With a Stick”. Its page includes the video preview and the archive’s source and licensing information.
