![William Roberts - The Boxing Match [c.1919-25] by Gandalf's Gallery](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7401/12454123233_7bb5011384.jpg)
One element of The Boxing Match that both is fully in keeping with Roberts' fascination with public entertainments but also his eye for the specific is the inclusion of two cameramen on a gantry above the ring. Seen in full silhouette, they are in fact painted in a mix of black and green shades to give definition to their forms. However, it is the fact that he has included them at all that is of particular interest. Their presence is a reminder of the importance in pre-television days of the biweekly newsreels shown in the cinemas as a source of information for much of the population but it also shows a remarkable awareness of this activity being itself a part of the whole event.
Sporting events in particular had been regularly filmed since the late 1890s and boxing, with its small static stage was much more easily filmed than, say, horse-racing or a football match. Yet it is extremely unusual to find those who are capturing an event for one medium being themselves captured in another. As such Roberts is recognising the use of film as both an event that attracts his interest but also the wider media world. An as yet untraced drawing which possibly remained in the artist's family collection entitled Boxing Scene with Film Cameras would suggest a link to the present work, and may yet throw further light on this intriguing aspect of the painting that offers a very rare insight into the place of news film reporting in the world of popular entertainment between the world wars.
[Sotheby’s Auction House - Oil on canvas, 36 x 41 cm]