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 165 Collections and/or Records:
Messrs. Poole, The World Programme, 25 September 1882
Messrs. Poole's Gigantic Pictorial Enterprise Programme, 14 August 1882
Messrs. Poole's New Dioramic Excursions Programme, 17 October 1881
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.
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
National Sunday League, Alhambra Programme, 7 April 1901
Black type on off white background on front cover listing the Band of His Majesty's Coldstream Guards, inside programme of musical repertoire with lyrics of songs, historical information and Scenes of Queen Victoria's Funeral, 3p.p.
New Corn Exchange Poster, Monday 31 March 1890
Newspaper Cutting About Messrs. Poole's Diorama, 30 November 1885
Diorama and Variety Entertainment at the Town Hall. Holbein's Visitors' List and Court Directory. Article about Messrs. Poole's diorama and variety show,
Opera Comique Programme, May 1896
Strand. Black type on green background on front cover announcing Shamus O'Brien in three tableaux founded on the celebrated poem by Jos. Sheridan Le Fanu, inside commercial advertising and programme listing C. Villiers Standord's new romantic comic opera Shamus O'brien, also contains programme for Olympia listing Chevalier Blondin and Animated pictures by Mr Paul's Theatrograph, 2p.p.
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.
Palace Theatre Souvenir, 21 September 1899
Black type on brown background on the front cover, inside black and white portrait photograph of Charles Morton, 2p.p.
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 and Young's New Dioramic Excursions Programme, 9 June 1879
Poole's Latests Myriorama Programme, 1882 - 1899
Filtered By
- Subject: Variety X
Additional filters:
- Type
- Archival Object 164
- Collection 1
- Subject
- Acrobats 6
- Aerialists 5
- Anglo-Afghan Wars 7
- Anglo-Burmese War, 3rd, 1885 4
- Anglo-Egyptian War, 1882 22
- Animal trainers 3
- Animals 16
- Circus 4
- Clowning 6
- Comedians 31
- Dance 4
- Dwarfs (Persons) 3
- Equestrians 3
- Exhibitions 4
- Fairs 2
- Franco-Prussian War 1870-1871 2
- Gymnasts 6
- Jugglers 6
- Magic 14
- Male impersonators 7
- Minstrel shows 16
- Motion pictures 104
- Music-halls 58
- Musical performances 54
- Musicians 3
- Optical illusions 78
- Pantomime 7
- Performers 121
- Pierrot 4
- Puppets 4
- Showman 64
- Showwoman 1
- Sideshows 2
- Singing 33
- South African War, 1899-1902 8
- Stunt performers 4
- Tableaux vivants 7
- Travel 47
- Ventriloquists 20
- War 36
- World War, 1914-1918 5
- Zulu War, 1879 6 + ∧ less