Anna Neagle and Geraldo at Elstree Studios after a fire
- Artist: Daily Herald
- Artist: Edward Malindine
- Date: 1936
- Medium: modern gelatin silver print from original negative
- Dimensions: 5 5/8 in. x 7 1/2 in. (143 mm x 192 mm) overall
- Portrays: Dame Anna Neagle (Florence Marjorie Wilcox (née Robertson)), Geraldo (Gerald Walcan Bright)
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
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About this artwork
This photograph places you right in front of Elstree Studios as it was after the great fire of early 1936. You can see Dame Anna Neagle, in a poised pose with her hair neatly gathered, and Geraldo—his bandleader’s jacket caught at the collar—standing beside her. The image is a modern gelatin silver print made from an original negative taken on 9 February 1936 by Edward Malindine for the Daily Herald.
Notice how the black‑and‑white tonality captures both their faces and the studio backdrop: half‑broken windows, a stack of rolled film, and dust motes in the light. The composition shows them in profile, yet the photo’s depth makes it feel almost three‑dimensional.
In that year the fire had already closed most of Elstree Studios; production was moved out, and the remaining buildings were sold off. That same complex would later serve as a wartime storage site for weapons and food. This image thus records not only two well‑known figures but also a pivotal moment in the studio’s history.
See it in person
Anna Neagle and Geraldo at Elstree Studios after a fire is in the collection of The National Portrait Gallery at St Martin's Place, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
