Prelinger Archives was founded in 1983 by Rick Prelinger in New York City. Over the next twenty years, it grew into a collection of over 60,000 "ephemeral" (advertising, educational, industrial, and amateur) films. In 2002, the film collection was acquired by the Library of Congress, Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division. Prelinger Archives remains in existence, holding approximately 11,000 digitized and videotape titles (all originally derived from film) and a large collection of home movies, amateur and industrial films acquired since 2002. Its primary collection emphasis has turned toward home movies and amateur films, with approximately 18,000 items held as of Spring 2021. Its goal remains to collect, preserve, and facilitate access to films of historic significance that haven't been collected elsewhere. Included are films produced by and for many hundreds of important US corporations, nonprofit organizations, trade associations, community and interest groups, and educational institutions. Getty Images represents the collection for stock footage sale, and over 8,500 items (representing approximately 6,000 distinct films) are available here.

RIGHTS: Please read the text in the "Rights" box on this page before contacting us with questions.

PLEASE NOTE: Since 2012, we have been continuously uploading newer and higher-quality versions of many titles, including one-part files of most films that were previously available only in two or more parts. Many films in our collection appear in several versions, and you can usually determine the highest quality by finding the version that was uploaded most recently.

STOCK FOOTAGE: Information on licensing stock footage through Getty Images, our exclusive representative, is here.

The Field Guide to Sponsored Films by Rick Prelinger was published by the National Film Preservation Foundation in January 2007. It describes 452 historically or culturally significant motion pictures commissioned by businesses, charities, advocacy groups, and state or local government units between 1897 and 1980. The annotated filmography features repository information for some 350 titles as well as links to works viewable online. Also included are an introductory essay and name and subject indexes. The book is recommended for all interested in the history of advertising, industrial and sponsored films.

A free copy of the 152-page NFPF publication can be viewed and downloaded here.

Click to see a Tag Cloud of the Archive's Prelinger Collection.

Click for more information about the Prelinger Archives.

Information about Prelinger Library, an appropriation-friendly library of printed materials located in San Francisco, is here.

If you have historical home movies of San Francisco or Detroit that might work in future Lost Landscapes urban history screenings, Rick would be delighted to hear from you. He can be reached here.

RIGHTS

This collection contains two kinds of material:

Public domain material that you can use according to the terms of the Creative Commons Public Domain license. For details on this license, please click the Creative Commons license logo below. You do not have to contact Prelinger Archives for permission to use this kind of material, if you have downloaded it. If you need higher-quality material or a written use agreement, please contact us (see below).

Other material that does not carry a Creative Commons license. If you wish to use this material in a project or production, please contact us for further information.

Further information on Creative Commons-licensed material:

Rick Prelinger and The Internet Archive hereby offer public domain films from Prelinger Archives to all for free downloading and reuse.

You are warmly encouraged to download, use and reproduce these films in whole or in part, in any medium or market throughout the world. You are also warmly encouraged to share, exchange, redistribute, transfer and copy these films, and especially encouraged to do so for free.

Any derivative works that you produce using these films are yours to perform, publish, reproduce, sell, or distribute in any way you wish without any limitations.

This statement of rights describes the rights granted to you so that you can use films from the online Prelinger collection at the Internet Archive.

Your right to use these films is granted by the Creative Commons Public Domain license when it appears on the "detail page" for a film. For details on this license, please click the Creative Commons license logo below.

Neither the Internet Archive nor Rick Prelinger can offer additional information regarding the rights to these films, or provide written license agreements. If you require a written license agreement or further information on the rights status of any Prelinger Collection titles, please see below.

Please be aware that:

-- the Creative Commons Public Domain license is the only license relating to films from the online Prelinger Collection;

-- the Internet Archive "Terms of Use" do not apply to the online Prelinger Collection;

-- the CC Public Domain license refers to the public domain status of the films, but not necessarily to every element that a film may contain;

-- and that other films, videos, texts and audio files hosted at the Internet Archive are not necessarily covered by the same license that governs the online Prelinger Collection. Please research these items individually if you wish to reuse any of them.

Descriptions, synopses, shotlists and other metadata provided by Prelinger Archives to this site are copyrighted jointly by Prelinger Archives and Getty Images. They may be quoted, excerpted or reproduced for educational, scholarly, nonprofit or archival purposes, but may not be reproduced for commercial purposes of any kind without permission.

If you require a written license agreement or need access to stock footage in a physical format (such as videotape or a higher-quality digital file), please visit our Stock Footage page. Neither Rick Prelinger nor the Internet Archive furnish written license agreements, nor do they comment on the rights status of a given film above and beyond this Creative Commons license.

Further information on works from Prelinger Archives can be found here. Questions should be directed to Rick Prelinger at Prelinger Archives, PO Box 590622, San Francisco, CA 94159-0622 USA.

ACTIVITY

Collection Info

Addeddate: 2007-06-07 23:36:00

Collection: movies

Contributor: Charlie Churchman
Greg Allen
JD Samson
Megan Shaw Prelinger
Tim Ries
Rick Prelinger
Skip Elsheimer
John Carlson
Jeremy Blatter

Homepage: http://www.prelinger.com

Identifier: prelinger

Mediatype: collection

Nav_order: 380

Num_subcollections: 15

Num_top_ba: 0

Publicdate: 2005-06-04 18:47:24

Publisher: Rick Prelinger

Related_collection: ephemera
prelinger_mashups
prelinger_library
35mmstockfootage

Created on

June 4
2005

ARossi
Archivist

ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTORS

binderc
Member

jordonz
Member

ewingrr
Member

Jonathan Aizen
Member

brewster
Archivist

Bill T.
Member

Rick Prelinger
Archivist

tracey pooh
Archivist

A/V Geeks
Archivist

VIEWS — About the New Statistics

Total Views 186,325,593

DISCONTINUED VIEWS

Total Views 186,315,034

ITEMS

Total Items 8,780

TOP REGIONS (LAST 30 DAYS)

(data not available)

RELATED COLLECTIONS

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Ephemeral Films
13,728 items

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Prelinger Archive Mashups
346 items

collection

Prelinger Library
4,332 items

collection

35mm Stock Footage
1,543 items

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Subject	Poster	Replies	Date
details page?	MHamilton-FourthLineArts	0	Jun 1, 2021 1:40pm Jun 1, 2021 1:40pm
..	dogfoodfilms	1	Apr 12, 2021 8:07am Apr 12, 2021 8:07am
Re: Rights for clip containing Olympics footage	Jeff Kaplan	0	Mar 10, 2021 7:57am Mar 10, 2021 7:57am
Public domain video	KinoPresse	0	Apr 8, 2021 4:23am Apr 8, 2021 4:23am
No Usage section or Rights section in videos.	midsummer'snight	0	Mar 4, 2021 10:58pm Mar 4, 2021 10:58pm
No Usage or Rights info on most videos	midsummer'snight	0	Mar 4, 2021 10:42pm Mar 4, 2021 10:42pm
No "Usage" section in many Home Videos	gcg001	1	Feb 18, 2021 6:03pm Feb 18, 2021 6:03pm
Re: No 'Usage' section in many Home Videos	midsummer'snight	0	Feb 28, 2021 7:46pm Feb 28, 2021 7:46pm
1950s Encyclopaedia Britannica Films	catweazle4810	0	Nov 21, 2020 7:59am Nov 21, 2020 7:59am
Color in comic archives	Blackbird2016	4	Sep 27, 2020 5:13pm Sep 27, 2020 5:13pm
Re: Color in comic archives	Blackbird2016	1	Oct 14, 2020 6:42pm Oct 14, 2020 6:42pm
Are all prelinger archive videos public domain?	calrushwilliams	1	Aug 25, 2020 7:50am Aug 25, 2020 7:50am
Re: Are all prelinger archive videos public domain?	Jeff Kaplan	1	Aug 25, 2020 1:47pm Aug 25, 2020 1:47pm
Re: Are all prelinger archive videos public domain?	calrushwilliams	1	Sep 7, 2020 7:25am Sep 7, 2020 7:25am
Re: Are all prelinger archive videos public domain?	pataspat	1	Sep 18, 2020 4:51pm Sep 18, 2020 4:51pm
Re: Are all prelinger archive videos public domain?	Jeff Kaplan	0	Sep 18, 2020 6:57pm Sep 18, 2020 6:57pm
Usage for Portuguese TV	Bastibolte	1	Aug 7, 2020 7:33am Aug 7, 2020 7:33am
Re: Usage for Portuguese TV	Rick Prelinger	0	Aug 8, 2020 7:31am Aug 8, 2020 7:31am
Review I think should be deleted	uniQ	0	Jun 2, 2020 7:38pm Jun 2, 2020 7:38pm
Up and Down New York	Maja Zupok	0	Feb 1, 2020 10:02am Feb 1, 2020 10:02am
New re-scan posts -- Wow!	spuder	1	Jan 29, 2020 5:05pm Jan 29, 2020 5:05pm
Re: New re-scan posts -- Wow!	uniQ	0	Jun 2, 2020 7:40pm Jun 2, 2020 7:40pm
1920x1080 resolution.	anahi56	2	Oct 25, 2019 5:13pm Oct 25, 2019 5:13pm
Re: 1920x1080 resolution.	zeitversiegelung	0	Oct 28, 2019 5:59am Oct 28, 2019 5:59am
Re: 1920x1080 resolution.	Jeff Kaplan	0	Oct 28, 2019 6:14pm Oct 28, 2019 6:14pm
short film	Naomi2969	0	Oct 12, 2019 12:00pm Oct 12, 2019 12:00pm
Sourcing UK Copyright status of US Public domain films?	avankt1	0	Sep 13, 2019 2:10pm Sep 13, 2019 2:10pm
License of August 2019 uploads?	Johnny Ocean	1	Aug 29, 2019 6:42am Aug 29, 2019 6:42am
Re: License of August 2019 uploads?	Rick Prelinger	0	Aug 30, 2019 7:39am Aug 30, 2019 7:39am
Western Serial - Cowboy with poodle dog	Bussy115	0	Jul 10, 2019 3:20am Jul 10, 2019 3:20am
Looking for precise footage date	Altostatus	1	Jun 6, 2019 1:32pm Jun 6, 2019 1:32pm
Re: Looking for precise footage date	Harry Wilson	1	Jun 6, 2019 2:28pm Jun 6, 2019 2:28pm
Re: Looking for precise footage date	Altostatus	2	Jun 6, 2019 2:32pm Jun 6, 2019 2:32pm
Re: Looking for precise footage date	Spuzz	1	Jun 7, 2019 12:14pm Jun 7, 2019 12:14pm
Re: Looking for precise footage date	Spuzz	0	Jun 7, 2019 12:16pm Jun 7, 2019 12:16pm
Re: Looking for precise footage date	A/V Geeks	1	Jun 7, 2019 12:24pm Jun 7, 2019 12:24pm
Re: Looking for precise footage date	Altostatus	0	Jun 7, 2019 1:21pm Jun 7, 2019 1:21pm
Are you accepting analog donations?	BUMED History Office	1	Jan 10, 2019 9:50am Jan 10, 2019 9:50am
Re: Are you accepting analog donations?	Jeff Kaplan	0	Jan 10, 2019 10:55am Jan 10, 2019 10:55am
Person to person July 22, 1960	sydneynsw	2	Dec 15, 2018 5:46am Dec 15, 2018 5:46am
Re: Person to person July 22, 1960	joninct59	0	Dec 20, 2018 10:39pm Dec 20, 2018 10:39pm
Re: Person to person July 22, 1960	The W/O/C Archive	0	May 7, 2019 11:20am May 7, 2019 11:20am
Person to person July 22, 1960	sydneynsw	0	Dec 15, 2018 5:46am Dec 15, 2018 5:46am
Sound error archive	Marco Brandt	0	Sep 11, 2018 10:24am Sep 11, 2018 10:24am
Broken upload!	ProDigit	0	Jul 23, 2018 7:29pm Jul 23, 2018 7:29pm
Film about the future with boy learning on computer	myarchivejourney	1	Jun 20, 2018 7:28am Jun 20, 2018 7:28am
Re: Film about the future with boy learning on computer	Rick Prelinger	0	Jun 21, 2018 7:52am Jun 21, 2018 7:52am

Prelinger Archives : Free Movies : Free Download, Borrow and Streamin…

Prelinger Archives

Filters 8,599 RESULTS

Media TypeMedia Type

YearYear

Topics & SubjectsTopics & Subjects

CollectionCollection

CreatorCreator

LanguageLanguage

eye 3M

👁eye 148,556

★favorite 25

🗩comment 2

👁eye 17,954

★favorite 39

🗩comment 5

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🗩comment 4

👁eye 21,037

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🗩comment 1

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🗩comment 2

👁eye 64,890

★favorite 300

🗩comment 7

👁eye 95,348

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🗩comment 7

👁eye 125,183

★favorite 175

🗩comment 20

👁eye 79,661

★favorite 697

🗩comment 3

👁eye 197,859

★favorite 606

🗩comment 30

👁eye 43,374

★favorite 247

🗩comment 4

👁eye 6,995

★favorite 11

🗩comment 2

👁eye 137,041

★favorite 198

🗩comment 11

👁eye 15,299

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🗩comment 3

👁eye 16,488

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🗩comment 5

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🗩comment 5

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🗩comment 21

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🗩comment 15

👁eye 51,405

★favorite 55

🗩comment 7

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🗩comment 14

👁eye 45,321

★favorite 316

🗩comment 3

👁eye 68,636

★favorite 362

🗩comment 22

👁eye 23,093

8,599
RESULTS

Media Type

Year

Topics & Subjects

Collection

Creator

Language

eye 148,556

favorite 25

comment 2

eye 17,954

favorite 39

comment 5

eye 196,875

favorite 604

comment 26

eye 101,378

favorite 251

comment 4

eye 21,037

favorite 8

comment 1

eye 89,740

favorite 93

comment 2

eye 64,890

favorite 300

comment 7

eye 95,348

favorite 163

comment 7

eye 125,183

favorite 175

comment 20

eye 79,661

favorite 697

comment 3

eye 197,859

favorite 606

comment 30

eye 43,374

favorite 247

comment 4

eye 6,995

favorite 11

comment 2

eye 137,041

favorite 198

comment 11

eye 15,299

favorite 158

comment 3

eye 16,488

favorite 85

comment 5

eye 18,552

favorite 48

comment 5

eye 54,728

favorite 266

comment 21

eye 136,408

favorite 264

comment 15

eye 51,405

favorite 55

comment 7

eye 56,198

favorite 168

comment 14

eye 45,321

favorite 316

comment 3

eye 68,636

favorite 362

comment 22

eye 23,093

favorite 57

comment 7

eye 16,931