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 20 Collections and/or Records:
Alhambra Theatre of Varieties Programme, 10 August 1896
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.
Bill Barnes Collection
Programmes, posters and photographs mainly related to the Poole family's travelling Myriorama show.
Capitol Ystalyfera Poster, 10 February 1930
Al Jolson the singing fool, Talkies. Red, blue and yellow type on off white background and yellow border. Printed by Willsons', Printers, Leicester.
Colston Hall Poster, Tuesday 21 February c1882
Colston Hall Poster, 21 February 1882
Bristol. A Congress of Solid Fun, The Monarchs of Ethiopians by Hamilton's. Black and red type on white background and colour illustration of a head portrait of a black man wearing American themed clothes with illustrations of black people along the bottom of the images spelling the word Minstrels in the centre. Printed by J. Upton, Steam Printing Works, Great Charles Street, Birmingham.
Empire Theatre Morning Performance in Aid of Funds for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution Programme, 25 February 1897
Black and white illustration of a sinking ship and a boat rowing away in rough seas on the front cover and black type on white background, inside programme listing; The Adolphi Trio, Lumiere Cinematographe, Miss Connie Ediss, Les Minstrels Parisiens, Mr Edmund Payne & Miss Katie Seymour, Mr Norman Salmond, Miss Marie Tempest, Mr Arthur Roberts, Miss Letty Lind, Semmel's Hungarian and Russian Troupe and Monte Cristo, 2p.p.
Great Colston Hall Poster, January 1894
Bristol. Brown type on yellow background listing Joseph Poole's sights of the world, Off with 'em by Mr Poole's Minstrels, Venice, Chicago, Loss of the H.M Ship Victoria, Poole's Variety Confederation, Poole's Popular Programme, Mr Fred Mayer, Miss Dent, Mr A.W. Hallo, Miss May Finch, Spence & Wright, Mr Somers, Miss May Finch, Pongo, Seeblod & Dent, Horton & Linder, Beno. Printed by Fry Bros, Printers, Broad Quay, Bristol.
Harry H. Hamilton Original Excursions to America Programme, c1800 - 1899
Harry H. Hamilton's Panstereorama of Passing Events Programme, c1880 - 1889
Joseph Poole's New Myriorama Picturesque Programme, 11 April 1892
Messrs. Poole's Gigantic Pictorial Enterprise Programme, 14 August 1882
Mohawk Minstrels Poster, 21 October 1885
Royal Agricultural Hall, Islington. Annual Benefit, 20 Songs for the Occasion, Principal London Variety Artistes. Black type on white background. Printed by Aubert's Steam Printing Works, Maiden Lane, Strand.
Photographs and Postcards, c1900 - 1929
Black and white and colour photographs and postcards
Photographs and Postcards Related to Pre-Cinema Shows and Early Cinema, Showpeople and Performers, c1900 - 1929
Black and white and colour photographs and postcards of performers including dwarves, blackface performer, a white face pierrot and Du'calion, the interior of a theatre, a photograph of the Parade at Newport, Isle of Wight, photographs of Poole's myriorama, employess and brass band and a small family photo album.
Poole's Latests Myriorama Programme, 1882 - 1899
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.
The Empire Programme, 20 July 1896
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.
The Harry H. Hamilton's Excursions, Queen and Empire Programme, c1897
The Royal Canterbury Theatre of Variety Programme, 8 April 1896
Filtered By
- Subject: Minstrel shows X
Additional filters:
- Type
- Archival Object 19
- Collection 1
- Subject
- Acrobats 3
- Aerialists 4
- Anglo-Afghan Wars 4
- Anglo-Burmese War, 3rd, 1885 2
- Anglo-Egyptian War, 1882 4
- Animal trainers 2
- Animals 4
- Circus 2
- Clowning 2
- Comedians 8
- Dance 2
- Dwarfs (Persons) 3
- Equestrians 2
- Exhibitions 2
- Fairs 1
- Franco-Prussian War 1870-1871 2
- Gymnasts 3
- Jugglers 2
- Magic 4
- Male impersonators 2
- Motion pictures 11
- Music-halls 9
- Musical performances 8
- Musicians 3
- Optical illusions 17
- Pantomime 2
- Performers 15
- Pierrot 4
- Puppets 2
- Showman 15
- Showwoman 1
- Sideshows 1
- Singing 7
- South African War, 1899-1902 2
- Stunt performers 2
- Tableaux vivants 3
- Travel 8
- Variety 16
- Ventriloquists 5
- War 6
- World War, 1914-1918 2
- Zulu War, 1879 3 + ∧ less