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Barnes, Bill (William), 1920 - 2019

 Person

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:

Theatre De Luxe Programme, 27 February 1913

 Item
Reference code: 178K53.97
Scope and Contents

Broadway, West Ealing. Three fold programme with black illustration of four women holding cameras on a yellow background on the outside, inside programme of films including An Actress's Romance, Ascending Mont Blanc, A Matrimonial Breeze, The Fire Fighter's Love, Hogan cSchimit and The plan that Failed. Contains commercial advertisements.

Dates: 27 February 1913

Theatre Gringalet Clock, c1890 - 1899

 Item
Reference code: 178Z64.26
Scope and Contents

Metal clock in the shape of a drum with a figure of a man on one side shouting and playing the drum and a woman holding a tambourine on the other side in front of a theatre's curtains and sign.

Dates: c1890 - 1899

Theatre Royal Poster, c1898

 Item
Reference code: 178R53.48
Scope and Contents

Gloucester. Poole New Dioramic Excursions, Afgahn War, Zulu War, Cabul, Charing Cross Railway Station, France, Italy, Turkey, Cyprus, Zululan, India, Afghanistan. Black and red type on white background and colour illustration of British soldiers and African men in battle in the centre. Printed by Stafford and Co., Printers and Engravers, Nottingham.

Dates: c1898

Theatrical Garden Party Programme, 22 June 1920

 Item
Reference code: 178K53.34
Scope and Contents

Royal Hospital Gardens, Chelsea, London, In aid of The Actors' Orphanage. Black type and black and red illustration of a woman wearing a dress with a bulky skirt and a large hat on the front cover, inside black and white illustrations and photographs, introduction to the actors' orphanage, programme, information of various charities such as the Y.M.C.A., the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and commercial advertising, 32p.p

Dates: 22 June 1920

Town Hall Poster, Monday 8 January c1900

 Item
Reference code: 178R53.33
Scope and Contents

Newcastle. Energy & Enterprise, Poole's Myriorama, Redivivus, The Boer War, Cairo to the Cape, War in South Africa, Variety Combination, Full Band. Brown Type on light brown background. Printed by John E. Bowes Ltd, Fenkle Street, Newcastle.

Dates: Monday 8 January c1900

Various Items of Ephemera, c1800 - 2016

 Series
Reference code: 178Z64
Scope and Contents

Various items related to George Walter Poole, Wilton's Music Hall, Henry James Mayer, Alexander Billington, James Upton Printers, Gompertz's panorama show, Poole's Myriorama and Diorama shows and Messrs Strange and Wilson Ghost show. Also includes a theatrical clock with two figures on the sides attracting customers.

Dates: c1800 - 2016

Various Items of Ephemera, c1800 - 1899

 File
Reference code: 178Z64.2
Scope and Contents

A business card for James Upton printers, Verona House menu, a coaster from Wilton's Music Hall, W. Mayer tobacconist advertisement, a humorous card entitled A Slight Hint, a paper about Christopher Bunaway, a hand written price list and a hand written table of medical complaints. Colour illustrations and black and white photograph of the Wilton, Tit-Bits miniarture newspaper.

Dates: c1800 - 1899

Various Newspapers, 1825 - 1893

 File
Reference code: 178G56.3
Scope and Contents

Sections of newspapers from the British Journal of Photography and newspapers including John Bull and The Morning Chronicle containing information on Birt Acres, Daguerre's Diorama, the Royal Polytechnic Diorama and pages from The Magic Lanthorn containing an article claiming the invetion of Pepper's Ghost in 1855 was Prof. Wheeler.

Dates: 1825 - 1893

Various Posters, c1990 - 2000

 File
Reference code: 178Z64.27
Scope and Contents

Posters advertising film festivals and copies of Barnum & Bailey and Ringling Bros posters.

Dates: c1990 - 2000

Vaudeville Theatre Programme, c1900

 Item
Reference code: 178K53.107
Scope and Contents

Black type on off white background listing Alice in Wonderland, Punch and Judy, magic lantern display with photographs taken by Mr W.P. Dando.

Dates: c1900

Venice in Dublin Poster, 4 July 1892

 Item
Reference code: 178R53.11
Scope and Contents Round Room Rotunda, Dublin Poole's Pictorial Tours, Darkest Africa, Meeting of H.M. Stanley and Emin Pasha, The Falls of Niagara, London day by day, Ireland, Sydney, The British fleet past and present, Poole's consolidated variety confederation, Miss Jessie Arnelli, musical act, Herr Blitz, Miss May Finch, Mr Felix Somers, Messrs Lisburn and O'Marr, Mr Willie Boatman, Poole's vocal quartette party, Mr Fred Mayer. Black type on orange background, printed on front and reverse. Printed by...
Dates: 4 July 1892

Victoria and Albert Museum Magazine, 2013

 File
Reference code: 178B44.3
Scope and Contents

Victoria and Albert Museums magazine containing an article on Sickert and the Bedford Music Hall, Magazine 43p.p, includes a handwritten note, 4p.p

Dates: 2013

Victoria Hall Poster, Monday 11 November c1907

 Item
Reference code: 178R53.61
Scope and Contents

York. Parlato's Electric Animated Pictures, Dumb Sagacity, Needs Must When the Devil Drives, The Whitby Regatta. Blue type on red background. Printed by Dysons, Theatrical Printers, Peterborough.

Dates: Monday 11 November c1907

Victoria Hall Poster, Monday 20 November c1893

 Item
Reference code: 178R53.43
Scope and Contents

Norwich. Joseph Poole's latest Myriorama, The World's Fair at Chicago and Venice, Loss of the MHS Victoria, Poole's Variety Confederation, Vocal Quartette Party and Mandolin Band, Orchestra and Military Bands. Black and red type on light brown background. Printed by Stafford & Co, Lithographic and Letterpress Printers, Netherfield, near Nottingham.

Dates: Monday 20 November c1893

Vint's Palace Electric Poster, Monday 26 December c1887

 Item
Reference code: 178R53.37
Scope and Contents

Late Town Hall Rugby. Vint's Pictures, The Air Tight Safe, Mark of the Criminal, 3 Favourites, Football at Home, Kelly Visits the Country, David and Goliath, Rose Leaves, Marco the clever boy conjuror, Flirty Afflictions, Calino Cools the Crowd, Lost a Sleeve, Force of Example, Ross Combination, Life for a Life, The Broken Doll, Vint's photo songs. Red type on off white background and solid red border. Printed by Willsons' New Walk Colour Printing Works, Leicester.

Dates: Monday 26 December c1887

W. Morton Pictorial, Musical and Descriptive Entertainment Programme, c1880 - 1889

 Item
Reference code: 178K53.25
Scope and Contents

Southampton, The Bay of Biscay, The rock of Gibraltar, The great harbour of Malta, Mr H. Woodman musical act, Alexandria from the sea, Cairo, Crossing the desert, Miss Edith Elmer impersonating act, Suez, The Sansitore Brothers musical act, A ship of fire, Madras, Calcutta, Canton. Black type on blue background with linear border on the front cover, inside and on back cover programme, 2p.p

Dates: c1880 - 1889

Warships Watercolour, c1800 - 1899

 Item
Reference code: 178V20.8
Scope and Contents

Watercolour depicting two rows of battleships with names inscribed underneath on the front, on reverse pencil scketches of warships including Victory and Duke of Wellington. Watercolour and pencil on paper.

Dates: c1800 - 1899

White's Cinema Poster, 25 December 1911

 Item
Reference code: 178R53.38
Scope and Contents

St. Thomas' Green, Haverfordwest. Special Xmas attractions, Billy Ross & Co., change of pictures three times weekly. Black type on brown background and black border. Printed by T.J. Morris Pembrokshire Herald Offices, Bridge Street, Haverfordwest.

Dates: 25 December 1911

William Thurston's New Electric Palace Poster, c1880 - 1890

 Item
Reference code: 178R53.18
Scope and Contents

Animated photography, Illustrated Songs and Scenas. Red and blue type on off white background and red, blue and white geometric border, in the centre red, blue and white illustration of people watching a projection of a plane flying in a theatre. Printed by Wilsons Printers.

Dates: c1880 - 1890

Wilton's, A History of the Hall and Houses Monograph, 2015

 Item
Reference code: 178B44.2
Scope and Contents

Monograph by Calore Zeidman. Foreword by HRH the Prince of Wales, contains colour and black and white photographs, 26p.p

Dates: 2015

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