Barnes, Bill (William), 1920 - 2019
Biography
William 'Bill' Barnes was a renowned film history and collector, who together with his twin brother John (1920-2008), amassed one of the finest collections of early British cinema in the country.
Bill and John became fascinated with cinema from an early age. When they were twelve years old they had a home cine projector and soon after, still in their teen years, they started to make their own films and documentaries. Examples of the titles they created together are Cornish Nets and With the Gypsies in Kent.
Bill and John started to collect cinema material in the 1930s. The brothers served together in the Royal Navy during WWII. At the end of the war, they became specialist booksellers of cinema and pre-cinema material.
The brothers opened the Barnes Museum of Cinematography in St Ives in 1936. John managed the collection while Bill continued to build up the collection visiting fairs, markets and auctions around the country. At this time Bill was working as a Film Production Consultant in London, where he used to visit markets and antique shops. The museum closed in 1986 and the collection was split between the Museo Nazionale del Cinema in Turin and Hove Museum. Eventually, Bill started to run his own stall in Chelsea antiques market selling optical toys, lantern slides and photo cine items. John, who remained in Cornwall all his life, died in 2008. The brothers had always been very close and Bill felt a great loss.
Bill became a leading authority on many aspects of the optical media that preceded cinema and in particular of the early years of cinema itself.
John and Bill wrote extensively on early cinema history, John was known for The Beginnings of Cinema in Britain series and Bill for his articles on The Magic Lantern journal among others.
Bill and John received an honorary doctorate from the University of Stirling in 2006 and the Jean Mitry Prize.
Found in 286 Collections and/or Records:
Poole's Trips Abroad Poster, 10 January 1885
Town Hall, Northampton. Poole's Trips Abroad, Egyptian Campaign, Soudan War, Teband Tamasi, new mastodont diorama, Tour Round the World, the War in Egypt, Miss Ada Violet Poole, Miss Keturah Evans, Mr Harry Stewart, Great Orville Pitcher, Mr Charles Heywood, Mr C. W. Wilmott. Brown type on yellow background. Printed by Stafford & Co., Printers and Engravers, Netherfield near Nottigham.
Poole's World Diorama Programme, 14 May 1883
Poole's World Diorama Programme, 16 November 1885
Poole's World Diorama Programme, 17 May 1884
Portrait of Maclagan Print, c1800 -1899
Bust portrait of a man in a suit facing towards the right with inscription reading yours truly Maclagan. Woodcut on yellow card.
Posters, c1880 - 1899
Poster related to the Poole family film shows, Gompertz's diorama and other early cinema travelling shows and venues.
Programmes , 1881 - 2016
Pre-Film and variety and music hall programmes mainly related to the travelling shows of Joseph Poole and Harry Poole, Harry H. Hamilton, Mapleston Brothers and Adams but it also includes other showmen.
Publicity for Salambo Leaflet, 2018
Blue type on yellow background on front cover, inside black and white images of posters for Salambo, 2p.p.
Putney Cinema Programme, 18 May 1914
Queen's Hall Programme, 17 December 1898
Music recital programme including the words of songs with special display of animated pictures including the Boer War. Black type on off white paper with commercial advertising and programme in the centre, 6p.p.
Queen's Hall Programme, 11 February 1899
Music recital programme including the words of songs with special display of animated sport pictures including boxing, rowing and diving as well as the serpentine dance. Black type on off white paper with commercial advertising and programme in the centre, 6p.p.
Queen's Hall Programme, 2 March 1907
Music recital programme including the words of songs with future programme containing animated pictures. Black type on off white paper with commercial advertising and programme in the centre, 4p.p.
Queen's Hall Programme, 6 October 1899
Queen's Hall Programme, 7 September 1900
Queen's Hall Programme, 8 September 1900
Queen's Hall Programme, 4 October 1900
Queen's Hall Programme, 5 October 1900
Queen's Hall Programme, 15 October 1900
Queen's Hall Programme, 3 September 1901
Queen's Hall Programme, 5 September 1901
Additional filters:
- Type
- Archival Object 285
- Collection 1
- Subject
- Acrobats 7
- Aerialists 5
- Anglo-Afghan Wars 10
- Anglo-Burmese War, 3rd, 1885 4
- Anglo-Egyptian War, 1882 33
- Animal trainers 3
- Animals 17
- Circus 7
- Clowning 9
- Comedians 31
- Contortionists 1
- Dance 4
- Dwarfs (Persons) 3
- Equestrians 3
- Exhibitions 10
- Fairs 3
- Franco-Prussian War 1870-1871 3
- Gymnasts 7
- Jugglers 7
- Magic 18
- Male impersonators 7
- Minstrel shows 20
- Motion pictures 177
- Music-halls 62
- Musical performances 73
- Musicians 3
- Optical illusions 128
- Pantomime 8
- Performers 135
- Pierrot 4
- Puppets 5
- Showman 109
- Showwoman 1
- Sideshows 3
- Singing 39
- South African War, 1899-1902 12
- Stunt performers 4
- Tableaux vivants 7
- Travel 63
- Variety 165
- Ventriloquists 22
- War 52
- World War, 1914-1918 5
- Zulu War, 1879 9 + ∧ less