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:
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.
Pitt's Palace Pictures Poster, c1899
Caerphilly. Pitt's Eletric Pictures and Varieties, our star film The Border Ranger, Dogs not Admitted, Calino as a Postman, An Eventful Evening, Freddie and the Aliens, True to his Trust, An Evil Influence, The Tale of the Sea, Children Mustn't Smoke, The Statue Dog, A Glimpse of the Neapolitan Camorra, Attacked by Araphoes, Help Wanted, Nat Pinkerton in the Smugglers' Den. Blue type on off white background and blue border. Printed by Willson's Printers, Mount Street, Nottingham.
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 and Young's New Overland Mail Route to India Programme, 18 May 1874
Queen's Rooms, Ayr, From London to Calcutta, Suez Canal, Arrival at Dover, The City of Calais,The Tunnel, The City of Turin, Brindisi, The Mediterranean Sea, Ismalia, Cairo, Ceylon, Madras. Orange and white illustration of a map covering the front and back covers showing Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and part of South Asia and a red line going from London to Calcutta, inside programme. Printed by J. W. Last and Co., Lithographers and General Printers, London, 2p.p
Poole's Grand Diorama Programme, c1890 - 1899
Poole's Latests Myriorama Programme, 1882 - 1899
Poole's Myriorama and All About It, c1880 - 1899
Poster describing Poole's myriorama show, black type on white background.
Poole's Myriorama and Diorama Items, c1885
Tickets, invitations, dancing card and other items related to Poole's Myriorama and Diorama shows, one of them at Hengler's Grand Cirque and a business envelope with colour illustration of two elephants in a jungle and a black and white portrait.
Poole's Myriorama Scrapbook, 1880 - 1901
Scrapbook containing newspaper cuttings, some black and white photographs, posters, programmes and telegraphs relating to Poole's Myriorama, also some loose newspaper cuttings, 36p.p
Poole's New Mastodon Diorama Programme, 12 November 1883
Poole's New Mastodon Diorama Programme, 26 November 1883
Poole's New Pictorial Tour All Over the World Programme, c1890 - 1899
Poole's New Production Poster, c1880 - 1899
Poole's New Trips Abroad Programme, 29 September 1884
Poole's Pictoresque Trips Abroad Poster, c1880 - 1899
Poole's Popular Trips Abroad Programme, 12 October 1885
Poole's Trips Abroad, 1 June 1885
Royal Victoria Hall, Waterloo Road. Black type on white background and blue and white illustrations of Egypt. Egyptian and Soudan Wars, Poole's Concert Company, Miss Kitty Clare, Great Cosmo, Dr Aden, Mr Oscar Hartwell.
Poole's Trips Abroad Poster, c1880 - 1899
Poole's Trips Abroad Poster, 1884
London, Agricultural Hall, Town Hall, Morley Hall and Public Hall. The cities and battlefields of Egyp and the Soudan, all the disasters, marches, battles and great British successes at Teb and Tamasi, Gordon at Khartoum, Variety entertainers, Orchestral and military bands. Blue type on blue background with wavy border. Printed by Stafford and Co., Printers and Engravers, Netherfield, Notts
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