Cary Grant
- Artist: Clarence Sinclair Bull
- Date: 1940
- Medium: bromide print
- Dimensions: 13 7/8 in. x 11 1/8 in. (354 mm x 282 mm) image size
- Portrays: Cary Grant
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
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About this artwork
In this photograph titled “Cary Grant,” the actor’s face is captured in striking detail. Notice how his eyes look straight ahead, framed by a neatly combed dark hairline that gives him an approachable, classic Hollywood look. The portrait was made on bromide paper – a glossy medium common to MGM stills at the time – giving the image its subtle depth and fine grain.
Clarence Sinclair Bull, head of the stills department at MGM, produced this print in 1940. He had already worked on fourteen portraits of Grant, who was an established screw‑ball comedy star after films like *Holiday* (1938), *Bringing Up Baby* (1938) and *The Philadelphia Story* (1940).
Cary Grant himself rose from poverty in Bristol to become a musical‑hall acrobat before turning his energetic stage presence into film. The photograph reflects that blend of disciplined charm and physical comedy, marking the actor at a peak of his career.
See it in person
Cary Grant 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.
