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 73 Collections and/or Records:
Adam's New Diorama of Scotland Programme, 18 April 1885
Victoria Hall, Glasgow, 50 paintings illustrating cities, towns, mountains, rivers,lochs and the coast of Scotland, Scottish songs, solos, duets and humourous selections. Maroon type on brown background and maroon illustrations of views and architecture on the front cover inside programme, marron illustration of female figure and a deer on landscape, also press reviews inside and on the back cover, 2p.p.
Alhambra Theatre of Varieties Programme, 5 July 1897
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.
Bill Barnes Collection
Programmes, posters and photographs mainly related to the Poole family's travelling Myriorama show.
Corn Exchange Assembly Rooms Poster, Monday 16 December c1901
Preston. Poole's & Young's New Diorama of Turkey, Cyprus, England and our Great Indian Empire, Poole's & Young's Excursions to the East, A Splendid Band and Staff of Vocals. Black type on white background around the edges, in the centre colour illustration of a war battle.
Corn Exchange Poster, Thursday 3 October c1889
Wantage. The Royal English Opera and Burlesque Company, Faust and Marguerite, The Waterman, patronaged by Col. Loyd Lindsay, Maritana, The Field of the Cloth of Gold, Fra Diavolo, The Swish Cottage, pianist and conductor Mr J.M. Chamberlin. Black type on silk. Printed by J. Lewis & Co. Pinters &c., Wantage.
Crystal Palace Programme, 1 January 1881
Crystal Palace Programme, 12 December 1896
Black illustrations of musical instruments and a woman holding a small harp and black type on orange background on the front cover, inside details of concerts including lyrics and sheet music with informatioin about the music and listing of performers including, Akimoto's Royal Yedo Japanese Troupe, Mr Snazelle and Mdame Hoyce Maas, also listing of other events including picture galleries, Panoramas and Dioramas and Wulff's Great Continental Circus, 22p.p.
Crystal Palace Programme, 18 March 1893
Black illustrations of musical instruments and a woman holding a small harp and black type on orange background on the front cover, inside details of concerts including lyrics and sheet music with informatioin about the music and listing of performers including, Mr Fleming Norton, Mr Robert Ganthony, Mr R.A. Roberts and The Siege of Paris Panorama, 20p.p.
Empire Theatre Programme, 16 July 1906
Blue type on white background and embossed crown in gold on the front cover, inside commercial advertising and programme in the centre listing Venus, Australian Ladie's Quartette, Morris Cronin & Truoe, Coppelia and The Biograph, 8p.p.
Felixstowe Spa Pavillion Programme, 25 August 1905
Brown type, floral illustrations and black and white photograph of the outside of the building on the front cover, inside commercial advertising and programme listing programme of concerts and Ruffell's Imperial Bioscope, 4p.p.
Gomp-Ertz Grand Diorama Programme, c1882
Hamilton's New Excursions Programme, c1880
Introductory tableau showing California, London, Crossing the Channel, Paris, Madrid, Rome, Constantinople, Ceylon, Washington, Southampton to Trasvaal, The Cotterells, comedy act, Miss Trixy Holland, comedy act, Arnetti, musical act, Walter Roselle, ventriloquist, Sid Colenza, comedy act, Godfrey Martin's latest cinematoscope. Black type on green background and two small illustraton of men in tailcoats, contains hand written annotations. Printed by Leader Printing Works, Lincoln, 2p.p.
Harry H. Hamilton Original Excursions to America Programme, c1800 - 1899
Harry H. Hamilton's Excursions Programme, c1880 - 1889
Harry Poole's Greatest Myriorama Programme, 27 February 1893
J. Poole's Myriorama Booklet, c1900 - 1999
Joseph Poole's Latest Myriorama Programme, 10 February 1890
Joseph Poole's Myriorama Booklet, c1890 - 1899
Joseph Poole's Myriorama Poster, c1895
Joseph Poole's New Myriorama Picturesque Programme, 19 January 1891
Filtered By
- Subject: Musical performances X
Additional filters:
- Type
- Archival Object 72
- Collection 1
- Subject
- Acrobats 4
- Aerialists 5
- Anglo-Afghan Wars 7
- Anglo-Burmese War, 3rd, 1885 4
- Anglo-Egyptian War, 1882 18
- Animal trainers 3
- Animals 6
- Circus 4
- Clowning 3
- Comedians 21
- Contortionists 1
- Dance 1
- Dwarfs (Persons) 1
- Equestrians 2
- Exhibitions 3
- Fairs 1
- Franco-Prussian War 1870-1871 2
- Gymnasts 6
- Jugglers 4
- Magic 8
- Male impersonators 2
- Minstrel shows 8
- Motion pictures 61
- Music-halls 26
- Musicians 1
- Optical illusions 51
- Pantomime 4
- Performers 45
- Pierrot 1
- Puppets 5
- Showman 47
- Showwoman 1
- Sideshows 1
- Singing 22
- South African War, 1899-1902 8
- Stunt performers 3
- Tableaux vivants 3
- Travel 37
- Variety 54
- Ventriloquists 18
- War 31
- World War, 1914-1918 3
- Zulu War, 1879 6 + ∧ less