Skip to main content

Barnes, Bill (William), 1920 - 2019

 Person

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 17 Collections and/or Records:

Alhambra Theatre of Varieties Programme, 5 July 1897

 Item
Reference code: 178K53.43
Scope and Contents

Leicester Square, London, Emmy's Trained Toy Terriers, The Tzigane, Musical Dale, Dagmar and De Celle, Mlle La Tostia, May and Flora Hengler, The Frank Bonhair Troupe of Acrobats, Miss Cissie Loftus, Victoria and Merrie England, Sells and Young. Colour illustration of chrubs and two women floating in the air holding wreaths of flowers and a banner with the theatre's name on it on a golden background on the front, on the reverse programme, 1p.

Dates: 5 July 1897

Alhambra Theatre of Varieties Programme, 10 August 1896

 Item
Reference code: 178K53.122
Scope and Contents

Leiscetes Square, London. Three fold programme containing colour illustration of women and Pierrots dancing on the outside, inside commercial advertising and programme listing The Musical Korries, Emmy's Troupe of Trained Toy Terriers, The Luppus, The Newsky Roussotine Troupe, The Animatographe, Mr Morris Cronin, Rip Van Winkle dramatic ballet and Les Minstrels Dumond.

Dates: 10 August 1896

Bill Barnes Collection

 Fonds
Reference code: NFA0172
Scope and Contents

Programmes, posters and photographs mainly related to the Poole family's travelling Myriorama show.

Dates: 1881 - 2017

Bristol Hippodrome Programme, 1 January 1913

 Item
Reference code: 178K53.105
Scope and Contents

Bown and white illustration of architectural arch with four dancing women and a seascape on the background with two figures riding a horse on the front cover, inside commercial advertising and programme listing Furness Willaims, Frederick Sylvester & Co., Monkey Music Hall, Lorna & Toots Punds, Canova's celebrated living porcelains on the bioscope, 4p.p.

Dates: 1 January 1913

Exeter Hall Programme, 30 January 1905

 Item
Reference code: 178K53.110
Scope and Contents

Blue type on light pink background with floral illustration on the front cover, inside programme listing Crystalphone solo, special address to the young by the Rev. W.H. Griffith Thomas, Hand-bell ringing and gymnastic display, Dumb bell exercises, Indian Club exercises, Vaulting horse, Flag race, Magic and Mystery by Charles Leslie, Animated Photographs by Messrs. Clarkson, 2p.p.

Dates: 30 January 1905

Harry Poole's Greatest Myriorama Programme, 27 February 1893

 Item
Reference code: 178K53.48
Scope and Contents Assembly Rooms, Cheltenham, The approach, engagement and destruction of The Spanish Armada, St. Paul'd Cathedral,Buckingham Palace, Newcastle-on-Tyne, The Forth Bridge, Ireland, Mechanical set of shipping, Newhaven, Crossing the Channel, Paris, Italy, Switzerland, St. Gothard Tunnel, Vienna, St. Petersburgh, Adrianople during the war, The Holy Land, Ceylon, India, China, Japan, New Zealand, San Francisco, Trinidad, The West Indies, New York, Egypt, The Soudan, Battle of Kirbekan, Stanley in...
Dates: 27 February 1893

Joseph Poole's New Myriorama Programme, 8 January 1900

 Item
Reference code: 178K53.56
Scope and Contents Town Hall, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Grand re-opening, The Boer War, General Buller's March, The Battle of Elandslaagte, Charing Cross, London, The Royal Navy Review, Osborne, The Bay of Biscay, River Tagus, Gibraltar, Alexandria, Interior of the mosque of El Choree, Our troops at the Pyramids, The Sphinx, Manfalout, The Temple of Karnac, Erment, Elephantina, The Throne of Pharaoh at Philae, Nubia, Abou Simbel, Battle of Tamai, Khartoum, South Africa, General Buller's march, The slave trade,...
Dates: 8 January 1900

London Hippodrome Programme, 29 July 1907

 Item
Reference code: 178K53.62
Scope and Contents

Variety programme, listing various acts including Chung Ling Soo, with programme in centre including Macate Sisters, Leonard Gautier's performing ponies, The Four Magnanis, Alfred Loyal, The Chrono Megaphone, Clown Pinta, The Black Hussars, Leipsig, Johnny Watson, The Globe of Life, Paul Conchas and the American Bioscope. Also contains commercial advertising. Light blue covers with white type, 10p.p.

Dates: 29 July 1907

London Hippodrome Programme, 30 July 1900

 Item
Reference code: 178K53.65
Scope and Contents

Programme page for the London Hippodrome linsting Les Melages, Captain Kettle and Stepsons, Leon Morris, Treantanovi Sisters, The Aquamarinoff Troupe, Webb's Cow Boys, Captain Woodward's seals and sea lions, Gibbon's Phono-bio-tableaux, Lockhart's elephants, Gobert, Belling and Filpe and Cinderella, 2p.p.

Dates: 30 July 1900

London Hippodrome Programme, 1900

 Item
Reference code: 178K53.106
Scope and Contents

Black type on light brown background listing Siberia, Mr Hengler's plunging horses and programme of music directed by Mr George Jacobi.

Dates: 1900

Programmes , 1881 - 2016

 Series
Reference code: 178K53
Scope and Contents

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.

Dates: 1881 - 2016

The Empire Programme, 20 July 1896

 Item
Reference code: 178K53.68
Scope and Contents

Black and white illustration of a female dancer on the front cover and black type, inside programme listing La Danse, Dayton Family, Dutch Daily, Elz a & Kate, Les Minstrels Dumond, Taffary's performing dogs, Lumiere's cinematographe, Ducreux & Geralduc, Monsier Grais, Sisters Abbot, Faust and Larsen Family. Contains commercial advertising, 2p.p.

Dates: 20 July 1896

The Empire Programme, 26 October 1896

 Item
Reference code: 178K53.69
Scope and Contents

Black and white illustration of a female dancer on the front cover and black type, inside programme listing Filli's Dogs, Solerno, The Three Harveys, Jenny Mills, Lumiere's Cinematographe, Miss Ruth Davenport, Bale Troupe, Mdlle. Nixau, Monte Cristo, Sisters Don, The Joscarys and The Pantolinos. Contains commercial advertising, 2p.p.

Dates: 26 October 1896

The Palace Programme, c1903

 Item
Reference code: 178K53.75
Scope and Contents

Black type on green background listing Mr Harry Wood's Grand Orchestra, The American Biograph, The Salambos, W. Edward Kaye, Alcide Capitaine, Binns and Binns, Olivette, Jimson's Animal Circus and Mr George Edwardes' Company. Printed by Brown & Sons Ltd, Printers, Douglas.

Dates: c1903

The Palace Theatre of Variety Programme, 24 December 1900

 Item
Reference code: 178K53.83
Scope and Contents Three fold programme with colour illustration of a woman dancing, illustration of interior and exterior views of the building and a female performer on the outside, on the inside programme listing Abba Omar, W.H. Morgan, Lizzie Ramsden, Edie Ross, Aglos Trio, George Ridgwell, The Marco Twins, mlle. Kara, The Alaska Arminis, Proveanis Troupe of cyclists, The Manhattan Comedy Four, Edith Courtney, H. Thurston, Arthur Stanley, Mrs Brosn-Potter, The Amoros Werner Troupe of Pantomimists, The...
Dates: 24 December 1900

The Palace Theatre Programme, 29 September 1914

 Item
Reference code: 178K53.102
Scope and Contents

Black and white illustration of a woman with a large black hat on the front cover, inside commercial advertisments and programme in the centre listing G.S. Melvin, Michal Braham and his dog, The Passing Show and The Palace Bioscope, 12p.p.

Dates: 29 September 1914

The Palace Theatre Programme, 22 September 1914

 Item
Reference code: 178K53.103
Scope and Contents

Black and white illustration of a woman with a large black hat on the front cover, inside commercial advertisements and programme in the centre listing G.S. Melvin, Michal Braham and his dog, The Passing Show and The Palace Bioscope, 12p.p.

Dates: 22 September 1914

Filtered By

  • Subject: Animals X

Additional filters:

Type
Archival Object 16
Collection 1
 
Subject
Acrobats 3
Aerialists 2
Anglo-Afghan Wars 2
Anglo-Burmese War, 3rd, 1885 1
Anglo-Egyptian War, 1882 3