Recent Articles
Margaret Berlowitz – Club President - Breaking Glass Ceilings- Published 2014-05-31 12:22 - (7627 Reads)Women have played a prominent role in the history Australian Rules football. Women have provided key financial support, and have been supporters, fund raisers, organisers, taxi services and more. In 2013, Peggy O’Neil at Richmond became the first women to be a VFL/AFL club president. Given history, she will be the first of many. But Peggy is certainly not the first woman to be an Australian Rules Football Club president…for that honour, we need to look nearly 100 years beforehand. This is the story of Margaret Jane Berlowitz at Yarraville 1914-1922. Alex Gurney - Cartoonist- Published 2015-01-01 12:00 - (12323 Reads)Alex Gurney was one of Australia's most famous cartoonists. He created the 'Bluey and Curley' strip which gained iconic status through the Second World War. His career, like that of many cartoonists included working the football beat. Gurney created the character of Fred for the Adelaide News and his cartoons from that short 1932-33 period are great examples of the art. For Victorian fans, Gurney illustrated the first 'Swans' emblem for South Melbourne. This article focuses on Gurney's football illustrations. The Hero from Orphanage - The Story of Len Johnson- Published 2014-10-30 14:55 - (8538 Reads)The story of Leslie Albert Johnson, better known as Len, is a tale of how one determined young man overcame hardship to become a ‘local hero’ with Essendon FC in his short VFL career. Len also left his mark as a country football coach, professional sprinter and a soldier who died on active service in Malaya in 1942. Len’s story is uplifting but it is not without pathos and tragedy. Class and Warfare: The MAFA and the VFL Seconds- Published 2014-04-04 15:00 - (15497 Reads)The VFL Seconds officially started in 1919, but prior to that date the Metropolitan Amateur Football Association (MAFA) essentially provided an unofficial seconds competition. The decision to move from the MAFA based system to having an official Seconds competition was taken during the First World War. The end of the University team in the League, the rise of the amateurs in the 1920’s and conflict over the WW1 fit into this story. Boyles Wartime Photos- Published 2013-06-13 11:42 - (7337 Reads)Charles Edward Boyles started out on his long photographic career during the First World War. Later, during the Second World War, he took many photos of Australian soldiers and visiting U.S. Marines. As with his football photos, the wartime photos are commercial images to be sold to the people in the photographs. The photos are sharp and high quality. Unfortunately, however, they are not named. |
Random Articles
Footballers and the Tradition of Professional Foot-running- Published 2013-05-03 13:03 - (13615 Reads)Before real money could be made playing football, players with a turn of speed could supplement their income through professional foot-running, especially in the summer months. From World Professional Sprint Champion Austin Robertson, to the depth of footballer talent at the Stawell Gift, and to the grudge sprint at the 1950 ANFC Football Carnival, this article looks at some of the key names and moments in the history of sprinting footballers. Jack Collins - Footscray’s ‘Jack Of All Trades’- Published 2019-02-09 13:40 - (4688 Reads)Seven Goals in the 1954 Grand Final, 154 VFL Games, Footscray Team of the Century, Club Secretary, Club President, fightback in 1989. Jack Collins was a great player with a great story. From Tripod to Website- Published 2012-07-05 10:27 - (21126 Reads)Ken's article here draws on his 2010 interview with Harley Boyles. It provides biographical material about the photographer Charles Boyles, an introduction to the Boyles collections, and a perspective on the 'hidden history' of the Boyles photos. The Earliest Boyles Football Photos- Published 2012-11-27 18:26 - (5636 Reads)The earliest known Boyles football photos were also published in major newspapers in 1928 and 1929. This leads to a number of questions about Boyles's work in the 1920's. Football links in the Australian Dictionary of Biography- Published 2013-02-19 04:47 - (7580 Reads)The Australian Dictionary of Biography (ADB) attempts to provide biographies of prominent Australians who have contributed to Australia. This article provides a brief overview of who the Australian Dictionary of Biography regard as the most important footballers, as well as identifying a substantial number of other prominent Australians with links to Australian Rules Football. |
Historical Articles (Reprinted)
Recent Articles
'Tracker' Forbes - Footballer And Comedian- Published 2023-07-01 00:27 - (0 Reads)Reginald William Ernest Wilmot, wrote under the pseudonym ‘Old Boy’ in the Australian and the Argus for over 30 years from the early 1900s through to the late 1930s. He was a keen sportsman. He had played for Essendon in the premiership years of the early 1890’s, and was later a strong supporter of school and amateur sports. He was secretary of the Melbourne Athenaeum 1909 to 1949. In 1922 the the death of Charles ‘Tracker’ Forbes led him to pen an obituary under his own name, a rare occurrence. Queerest Final Of All! Only Three Goal For Whole Match- Published 2023-06-18 18:05 - (0 Reads)1927 VFL grand final - Collingwood - Richmond. Torrential rain and freezing winds before and during the match. Lowest scoring VFL game in the 20th or 21st century. Women, Boxes and Barrackers- Published 2023-06-18 18:01 - (0 Reads)Dan Minogue Tells Why He - Gave Up Mining for Football- Published 2019-03-10 14:22 - (3148 Reads)Dan Minogue begins today his own story of his distinguished career. And a human, gripping story this great football personality has to tell! It is brimming with all the incident, thrills, humor and pathos which he has encountered during a quarter of a century as crack player and successful captain and coach. Turning back Time, Dan takes readers behind the scenes with him; into club rooms and on to playing fields as he lives again his hours of triumph —and disappointment. |
Random Articles
Great Football Dramas No. 3 - North Broke-But They won With 18 Amateurs- Published 2017-10-18 19:19 - (2305 Reads)'Tracker' Forbes - Footballer And Comedian- Published 2023-07-01 00:27 - (0 Reads)Reginald William Ernest Wilmot, wrote under the pseudonym ‘Old Boy’ in the Australian and the Argus for over 30 years from the early 1900s through to the late 1930s. He was a keen sportsman. He had played for Essendon in the premiership years of the early 1890’s, and was later a strong supporter of school and amateur sports. He was secretary of the Melbourne Athenaeum 1909 to 1949. In 1922 the the death of Charles ‘Tracker’ Forbes led him to pen an obituary under his own name, a rare occurrence. Great Football Dramas — No. 13 Fitzroy First To Smash Collingwood's Great System- Published 2016-08-28 18:02 - (3210 Reads)How Collingwood's famous system, then brand-new, was first smashed by Fitzroy in a memorable League semi-final in 1902, is retold in this, the thirteenth of a series of great football dramas. Dan Minogue Tells Why He - Gave Up Mining for Football- Published 2019-03-10 14:22 - (3148 Reads)Dan Minogue begins today his own story of his distinguished career. And a human, gripping story this great football personality has to tell! It is brimming with all the incident, thrills, humor and pathos which he has encountered during a quarter of a century as crack player and successful captain and coach. Turning back Time, Dan takes readers behind the scenes with him; into club rooms and on to playing fields as he lives again his hours of triumph —and disappointment. |
An Introduction to Charles Boyles
The website is centred around the photos of Charles Boyles, a Melbourne-based photographer. Boyles primarily took photos of Australian Rules Football teams and players. He appears to have started this football work in the late twenties. He continued through the 1930's, the years of the Second World War, and then right up to his final photos in the early sixties. Unlike most commercial photographers, Charles Boyles did not wait for customers to come to him. Boyles set up his camera on training nights, and on game days took posed team photos after the players had run onto the ground. These were sold directly to the clubs, players and general public. On Saturdays, at the games, the photographer's son Harley Boyles (and others) would take a satchel of mixed photos and sell them throughout the game. Unlike newspaper photos, therefore, a Boyles photo was something you could own, take home, and treasure. There are no action shots or photos of games in progress. Boyles specialised in team photos and player portraits, with the players looking directly to camera. Today these photos are used by clubs, by family historians, and by those interested in football history. They often appear uncredited in football history books. Boyles did not restrict himself to the leading football competition of his era, the Victorian Football League. During his working life he attended many different competitions. He covered the VFA, Wartime Services matches, the various Victorian workplace competitions, the Sunday leagues, and other competitions. Learn More about the Life of Charles Boyles
Read Ken's article on the methods, motives and life of Charles Boyles. The article includes notes from an extensive interview with Harley Boyles about his father. See Charles Edward Boyles: From Tripod to Website. |
Website Aims and Objectives
This website contains work by two independent researchers, Ken Mansell and Michael Riley. Our objective is to share our own passion for history and provide a friendly resource for family historians, football buffs and others who have an interest in the Charles Boyles photos and more generally in football photography from the 1920's to 1960's.A Football History Website
This site has grown to cover more than just football photos. There is an amazing amount to explore. You can start with articles, player pages, ground pages, team and league pages as well as information on players careers outside football.All Football Photographers Not Just Charles Boyles Photos
This site contains photos from many of Boyles's contemporaries. These contrast Boyles's style, and add to an understanding of sport, photography, and the football of the time.Football Outside the VFL
Charles Boyles took photos of VFL teams, but also took photos of VFA teams, Workplace Teams and teams in Junior Leagues. Also, for many players the VFL was just a small part of their footballing story. This site attempts to build a picture of the football world during Boyle's working period. This world is worth explored through articles and the pages thoughout the website. Sources of Images on this Website
We are not associated with any library or institution. We have received permission from a variety of people and institutions to include their images on this particular website. Each photo is labelled as to it's source. Please contact the relevant source for permission to reproduce any images. The appearance of an image on this website does not mean that it is public domain. Although many (not all) photos are out of copyright, many images are available here under 'Terms of Use' agreements with the relevant organisation. We credit the photographer and the photo source wherever possible, |
Examples of Boyles Photos
Do you have a Boyles Photo?
Read Michael's article on characteristics of Boyles photos that may help you identify one in your own collection. See Identifying Boyles Photos - Style and Format of Charles Boyles Photographs.