Historic Films Archive

Historic Films Archive is a stock footage library operating from New York. It owns the rights to an extensive collection of television and film footage dating back to 1895. Its library includes all genres of American Music on film and video and historic archive footage derived from American Newsreels, Feature Films, Industrial shorts, home movies, out-takes and cartoons.

The company originated as a Manhattan based research archive named Associated Researchers and Image Quest; it was founded by Joe Lauro and Richard Plagge in 1991. Lauro had previously worked for Archive Films as a researcher and Plagge for FOX MOVIETONE NEWS when they decided to form their own company. They soon realized that licensing footage was more lucrative than acting as researchers. In 1993, the company moved to East Hampton, close to Plagge's home.

In 1994 Plagge died, and Lauro formed a partnership with California producer Andrew Solt, the owner of the rights to The Ed Sullivan Show. They converted ARIQ into the Historic Film Archive in 1997.

The Historic Films library is fully digitized and its material is view-able instantly for research purposes on its official website. Historic Film's footage can also be viewed on mobile devices and tablets and offers its clients the most advanced and easiest access from all of its competitors.

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