Arthur Sharland Boothroyd b. 1910

  • Artist (Cartoonist / Illustrator)
Mid 20th century English, Melbourne and Sydney illustrator and cartoonist. Boothroyd contributed to a number of publications including the Bulletin, Smith's Weekly and London Punch and was a multiple Walkley Illustration Award winner for his work in Australian Women's Weekly. A Boothroyd mural is known illustrated in the Corroboree Coffee Lounge, North Sydney in 1955.

illustrator and cartoonist, was born in Lancashire, England. He came to Australia in 1923 and studied at Swinburne Tech. in Melbourne, then at the Royal Art Society and East Sydney Technical College in Sydney in 1927-31. He had lots of cartoons in Smith’s Weekly in 1930, many featuring glamorous young women, e.g. 'SHE: “They say kissing is dangerous”/ SHE: “Possibly, but isn’t it great if you live through it?”’ (15 March 1930, 28); '“Why were you so long outside with Jack at the dance last night?”/ “He showed me some new steps and we sat them out.” (8 February 1930, 8); “What games did you play at the party the other night?”/ “Oh, just a little game of hide and sheik” (8 February 1930, 12); (two women, one in trousers, the other in shorts) The Long and Short of it (5 April 1930, 11); (two ancient Egyptian women) 'FIRST BELLE: “What do you do with all the love-letters your admirers send you?”/ SECOND BELLE: “My father is building a house with them.”’ (11 January 1930, 23). An uncaptioned Boothroyd drawing of a woman playing croquet, n.d. [late 1930s?] in the Thomas Ottway donation (Mitchell Library [ML] PXD 619/4) was probably also done for Smith’s .

Boothroyd also drew for the Bulletin . ML originals include: Px*D446 (pretty girls re: boss kissing one last night and getting sore lips telling everyone about it) and Px*D446/66 (re: Bobby knowing the location of Perth on radio only) n.d. – a very 1930s style of drawing illustrating a paid gag from a reader. ML Bulletin contents list notes seven drawings of 1933. He had a few cartoons in Table Talk between 1933 and 1937.

By 1945 Boothroyd was back in England, studying art at Chelsea. He worked mainly in England until 1960, often drawing for Punch , then returned to Australia. He travelled in Europe, Egypt and Cambodia in 1962. In 1961, 1963 and 1969 he won Walkley Illustration Awards for illustrations in the Australian Women’s Weekly . ( Rigby won the cartoon Walkley in all three years, while Bruce D. Begg , Arthur L. Hudson and Charles Altmann won the Press Artwork Walkeys in 1961, 1963 and 1969 respectively.) Boothroyd was still a feature illustrator for the Australian Women’s Weekly (Australian Consolidated Press) in 1964.

Writers:
Kerr, Joan
Date written:
1996
Last updated:
2007