Publicity still for the Charlie Chaplin film Limelight (1952)
Such images were taken on set during filming, or as part of an organized photo-shoot, by a studio photographer. They were then disseminated to the media and the public to promote the film (see Film still).
This is definitely a promotional still because there is a stock code in the bottom right corner. The image on this page shows what the whole still would have looked like.
Public domain explanation
If the image was copyrighted, under the terms of the 1909 Copyright Act it would have had to be renewed 28 years after publication. A search with the United States Copyright Records for "Limelight" and "Chaplin" ([1]) shows that the film and music had their copyright renewed, but there is no evidence that any promotional material for the film was renewed.
Note that it may still be copyrighted in jurisdictions that do not apply the rule of the shorter term for US works (depending on the date of the author's death), such as Canada (70 years p.m.a.), Mainland China (50 years p.m.a., not Hong Kong or Macao), Germany (70 years p.m.a.), Mexico (100 years p.m.a.), Switzerland (70 years p.m.a.), and other countries with individual treaties.
{{Information |Description=Publicity still for the Charlie Chaplin film ''Limelight'' (1952) *Such images were taken on set during filming, or as part of an organized photo-shoot, by a studio photographer. They were then d...
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