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 286 Collections and/or Records:
Stockport Electric Theatre Programme, 26 - 28 June 1911
Blue type on light green background on front cover, inside programme listing Nell's Last Deal, The Vivaphone, Our Weekly News Pictures, Gibraltar, Two Plucky Girls, Little Indian God, The Stricker Leader, Tontolini and his Clarionet, The Coronation Procession and The Naval Review. Contains commercial advertising, 2p.p.
Stuart Hall Poster, c1880 - 1890
Stuart Hall Poster, 12 October 1878
Cardiff. Two More New Views of Cyprus, Sir Garnet Wolseley, Famacosta, Mr Felix Somers, Miss Alice Turner, Mr Fred Hilton, Mr F. Neave, Poole & Young's Excursions to Russia, Turkey and Cyprus, War, The Congress at Berlin, Lord Beaconsfield, Lecturer Mr Arthur Chistie, The Band. Green, red and black type on white background with Red and black wavy border. Printed by Stafford and Co, Printers, Nottingham.
Suakim Poster, c1880 - 1899
Page with green portrait illustrations of military men around the edges and blank space in the centre.
Sunday Chronicle Pantomime Annual, 1911
Sunday Evenings for the People Programme, 12 January 1908
The Grand Palace, Clapham Junction. Black type on off white background with geometrical border on the front cover, inside programme listing music acts and Animated Photographs, 2p.p.
Temperance Hall Poster, Monday 12 December c1887
Merthyr Tydfil. Billy Ross & Co, Mr Maloney's Troubles, Dave Mc Neil, Stephen Lawler, The Evalos, Wills & Warlock, Mr Will Webb, Biograph with the latest pictures, Lyvette, Mr E. Blue type on off white background and blue border. Printed by Telegraph Merthyr.
Temperance Hall Poster, 19 January 1880
Temperance Hall Poster, 17 November 1884
Aberdare. Poole's Trips Abroad, Egyptian Campaign, Soudan War, England, Wales, Egypt, China, Afghanistan, India, Italy, Holland and Belgium, Excelsior Concert Company, Miss Keturah Evans, Mr Harry Stewart, Mr Felix Somers, Mr Charles Heywood, Poole's Splendid Bands. Balck type on white background with black border. Printed by James Upton, Printer, Great Charles Street, Birmingham.
The Birmingham Empire Palace Programme, 26 July 1897
Three fold programme with yellow and blue illustrations of dancing and trapeze act and views of the theatre on the outside, inside commercial advertising and programme listing Jean Stanley, Florador Quartette, Brothers Dare, Will Hedben, Fred Karno's Company, Ellie Stuart, Lydia Yeamans, Northern Troupe, Fredericks Troupe, Lottie Lennox, Hillary Troupe and the Biograph the following week. Green and red type on white background. Printed by James Upton Lith, Birmingham.
The Coliseum and Part of the Lake Regent's Park Engraving, c1828 - 1830
Black and white engraving drawn by Thomas Hosmer Shepherd and engraved by W. Tombleson showing a view of the Coliseum behind some trees, in the distance from a lake with ducks and a dog.
The Coliseum, Regent's Park Engraving, Published 27 April 1827
Hand coloured engraving drawn by Thomas H. Shepherd and engraved by H. Wallis showing the Coliseum from across a road with people walking along the pavement and a carriage pulled by four horses on the road as well as men riding horses and a dog.
The Coliseum, Regent's Park Engraving, Published 21 April 1828
Black and white engraving drawn by Thomas H. Shepherd showing the Coliseum from across a road with people walking along the pavement and a carriage pulled by four horses on the road as well as men riding horses and a dog.
The Empire Programme, 23 March 1896
Black and white illustration of a female dancer on the front cover and black type, inside programme listing La Danse, Cincinnatti juggler, Twins Marco, Mdlle. Junior, Cinematographe, The Schaffers, The Eight Welshmen, Faust, During's Swedish Quintette and Les Freres Dumond. Contains commercial advertising, 2p.p.
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 Empire Programme, 26 October 1896
Black and white illustration of a female dancer on the front cover and black type, inside programme listing Filli's Dogs, Solerno, The Three Harveys, Jenny Mills, Lumiere's Cinematographe, Miss Ruth Davenport, Bale Troupe, Mdlle. Nixau, Monte Cristo, Sisters Don, The Joscarys and The Pantolinos. Contains commercial advertising, 2p.p.
The Empire Programme, 17 April 1884, 19 August 1902
Colour illustration of woman in Regency style dress and golden type on white background on front cover inside illustrations of the theatre, history of the theatre and programme for 1884, 1897 and 1902 listing cinematographic picture shows, 14p.p.
The Grand Circus Poster, c1880 - 1899
The Harry H. Hamilton's Excursions, Queen and Empire Programme, c1897
The Herkomer Theatre Programme, 9 - 20 January 1893
Red and black type and introduction to the programme on the front cover, inside programme for Gaston Boissier under the direction of Professor Herkomer. Pinted by Watford Observer Office, Queen Street, Watford, 2p.p.
Additional filters:
- Type
- Archival Object 285
- Collection 1
- Subject
- Acrobats 7
- Aerialists 5
- Anglo-Afghan Wars 10
- Anglo-Burmese War, 3rd, 1885 4
- Anglo-Egyptian War, 1882 33
- Animal trainers 3
- Animals 17
- Circus 7
- Clowning 9
- Comedians 31
- Contortionists 1
- Dance 4
- Dwarfs (Persons) 3
- Equestrians 3
- Exhibitions 10
- Fairs 3
- Franco-Prussian War 1870-1871 3
- Gymnasts 7
- Jugglers 7
- Magic 18
- Male impersonators 7
- Minstrel shows 20
- Motion pictures 177
- Music-halls 62
- Musical performances 73
- Musicians 3
- Optical illusions 128
- Pantomime 8
- Performers 135
- Pierrot 4
- Puppets 5
- Showman 109
- Showwoman 1
- Sideshows 3
- Singing 39
- South African War, 1899-1902 12
- Stunt performers 4
- Tableaux vivants 7
- Travel 63
- Variety 165
- Ventriloquists 22
- War 52
- World War, 1914-1918 5
- Zulu War, 1879 9 + ∧ less