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 72 Collections and/or Records:
Admission All Classes Handbills, 2007
Handbills for two separated events of Admissions All Classes, containing colour photographs and listing of acts.
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.
Berlin Winter Garten Programme, 1937
Bill Barnes Collection
Programmes, posters and photographs mainly related to the Poole family's travelling Myriorama show.
Certificate, 10 August 1892
Document certifying that Fred Lionel Mayer did his first appearance on Poole's New Myriorama with signatures on the bottom section, on Poole's Myriorama letter headed paper with red and white illustrations of people from around the world standing behing a globe held by a cherub and the figure of Britannia pointing a trident towards it. Manuscript.
Crystal Palace Programme, 1 January 1881
Gomp-Ertz Grand Diorama Programme, c1882
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.
Guide Book of Charles W. and John R. Poole Latest Myriorama, c1920 - 1929
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.
Handbills, 1882 - 2017
Handbills for Brick Lane Music Hall, Admission All Classes, Colston Hall, Harry H. Hamilton, Wilton's Music Hall, Player's Theatre, Hoxton Hall.
Harry H. Hamilton Original Excursions to America Programme, c1800 - 1899
Harry H. Hamilton's Excursions Programme, c1880 - 1889
Harry H. Hamilton's Panstereorama of Passing Events Programme, c1880 - 1889
Harry Poole's Greatest Myriorama Programme, 27 February 1893
Joseph Poole's Latest Myriorama Programme, 10 February 1890
Joseph Poole's Myriorama Poster, c1895
Joseph Poole's New Myriorama Picturesque Programme, 19 January 1891
Joseph Poole's New Myriorama Picturesque Programme, 11 April 1892
Joseph Poole's New Myriorama Programme, 23 December 1889
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- Archival Object 71
- Collection 1
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- Acrobats 5
- Aerialists 5
- Anglo-Afghan Wars 7
- Anglo-Burmese War, 3rd, 1885 4
- Anglo-Egyptian War, 1882 19
- Animal trainers 3
- Animals 4
- Circus 4
- Clowning 8
- Comedians 27
- Dance 1
- Dwarfs (Persons) 3
- Equestrians 3
- Exhibitions 4
- Fairs 1
- Franco-Prussian War 1870-1871 2
- Gymnasts 5
- Jugglers 3
- Magic 10
- Male impersonators 3
- Minstrel shows 12
- Motion pictures 49
- Music-halls 41
- Musical performances 40
- Musicians 3
- Optical illusions 52
- Pantomime 6
- Performers 71
- Pierrot 4
- Puppets 4
- Showman 51
- Showwoman 1
- Sideshows 1
- Singing 27
- South African War, 1899-1902 5
- Stunt performers 4
- Tableaux vivants 4
- Travel 41
- Variety 65
- Ventriloquists 18
- War 31
- World War, 1914-1918 4
- Zulu War, 1879 6 + ∧ less