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 62 Collections and/or Records:
La Lanterne D'Arlequin Booklet, 25 February 1883
Black type and illustration of harlequin holding a lantern and a sword on the front cover, inside black and white illustrations and text, 10p.p.
Monographs, Articles, Manuscripts and Research Material, c1900 - 2018
Monographs, articles and research material on early travelling moving picture shows, related to the Poole family , Wilton's Music Hall, Walter Sickert, Bedford Music Hall, Randall Williams and early cinema in Scotland
Mr Joseph Poole's Grand New Myriorama Poster, c1880 - 1899
Mr Joseph Poole's New Myriorama Pictoresque Trips Abroad to all Parts of the Globe Poster, Friday 4 to Saturday 12 April c1890
Mr Joseph Poole's Trips Abroad Poster, c1880 - 1899
No Title Programme, c1900 - 1910
Black type on off white background. Lists Part 1 and Part 2 of the show containing various musical acts as well as a ventriloquist act.
Original Artworks, c1821 - 1869
Small groups of artist prints depicting scenes of music hall and variety entertainment, magic and clowning and watercolour of battleships. Also prints of the London Coliseum and other archicture in Regent's Park.
Pavilion Threatre of Varieties Programme, 25 April 1910
Glasgow, Miss Margaret Cooper, 4 Celestas, Dolly Harmer, Mr John R. Poole, The Adras, Alexander Prince, Denaro Bros, J. M'Cormack, Tenka Troupe. Four folding programme with red, white and black type and red and grey illustration of a man in medieval clothing blowing a trumpet in the front, inside programme and commercial advertising.
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.
Player's Theatre Handbill, c1900 - 1999
Victorian Music Hall and Hoxton Hall, Sunday 2 December, Union Jack on top section, title in red and blue and rest of typescript on black and framed colour photograph of a man on the front, on reverse information, contact details and map.
Poole's Latests Myriorama Programme, 1882 - 1899
Poole's New Pictorial Tour All Over the World Programme, c1890 - 1899
Poole's New Production Poster, c1880 - 1899
Poole's Pictoresque Trips Abroad Poster, c1880 - 1899
Poole's Popular Trips Abroad Programme, 12 October 1885
Poole's Trips Abroad Poster, c1880 - 1899
Poole's Trips Abroad Poster, 1884
London, Agricultural Hall, Town Hall, Morley Hall and Public Hall. The cities and battlefields of Egyp and the Soudan, all the disasters, marches, battles and great British successes at Teb and Tamasi, Gordon at Khartoum, Variety entertainers, Orchestral and military bands. Blue type on blue background with wavy border. Printed by Stafford and Co., Printers and Engravers, Netherfield, Notts
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.
Filtered By
- Subject: Music-halls X
Additional filters:
- Type
- Archival Object 61
- Collection 1
- Subject
- Acrobats 5
- Aerialists 5
- Anglo-Afghan Wars 3
- Anglo-Burmese War, 3rd, 1885 4
- Anglo-Egyptian War, 1882 13
- Animal trainers 3
- Animals 4
- Circus 4
- Clowning 4
- Comedians 16
- Dance 1
- Dwarfs (Persons) 3
- Equestrians 3
- Exhibitions 4
- Fairs 2
- Franco-Prussian War 1870-1871 2
- Gymnasts 4
- Jugglers 3
- Magic 8
- Male impersonators 3
- Minstrel shows 9
- Motion pictures 29
- Musical performances 26
- Musicians 3
- Optical illusions 31
- Pantomime 7
- Performers 42
- Pierrot 4
- Puppets 4
- Showman 30
- Showwoman 1
- Sideshows 2
- Singing 11
- South African War, 1899-1902 4
- Stunt performers 2
- Tableaux vivants 4
- Travel 21
- Variety 58
- Ventriloquists 9
- War 18
- World War, 1914-1918 4
- Zulu War, 1879 3 + ∧ less