Anna Neagle
- Artist: McClelland Barclay
- Date: 1940
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 64 7/8 in. x 49 7/8 in. (1649 mm x 1268 mm)
- Portrays: Dame Anna Neagle (Florence Marjorie Wilcox (née Robertson))
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
"Anna Neagle" is an oil portrait by McClelland Barclay, painted in 1940 while the actor was filming *No, No, Nanette* in Hollywood. The canvas is large—over sixty‑four inches tall—so you can see her full face and upper torso in a single view.
The figure looks relaxed and confident. She wears the costume from the film: a tailored jacket with a subtle sheen that reflects light just enough to give her skin a warm glow. Her hair is set back neatly, and she gazes slightly over her left shoulder, inviting you into the moment as if she were in a still frame of the movie.
Barclay was known for his poster work, so it’s no surprise that this portrait was printed on the film’s promotional poster. The painting captures Neagle’s “sassy glamour” and helped make her one of Britain’s most popular stage and screen stars of the 1930‑1940s.
See it in person
Anna Neagle 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.
