The Gallery holds the most extensive collection of portraits in the world. Search over 215,000 works, 150,000 of which are illustrated from the 16th Century to the present day.

Advanced Collection search

Search the Collection

Bob Collins

(1924-2002), Photographer

Sitter in 5 portraits
Artist of 220 portraits
In 1956 Collins left his job as a watchmaker to pursue a career as a freelance photojournalist. Working primarily in the field of popular entertainment, he documented the rise of singers and radio and television performers. His work frequently appeared in Picture Post, TV Mirror and Everybody's Magazine and he contributed illustrated articles for a number of photographic magazines. Focusing on spontaneous human-interest subjects, Collins favoured Microcord, Super Ikonta and Rolleiflex cameras and almost always used electronic flash. In 1982 the Royal Photographic Society held a retrospective exhibition of Collins' work entitled Double Image.

Tell us More

 Like voting
is closed

Thanks for Liking

Please Like other favourites!
If they inspire you please support our work.

Make a donation

List Thumbnail

Marion Ryan, by Bob Collins - NPG x136316

Marion Ryan

by Bob Collins
2 1/4 inch square transparency, circa 1950s
NPG x136316

Marion Ryan, by Bob Collins - NPG x136317

Marion Ryan

by Bob Collins
2 1/4 inch square transparency, 1950s
NPG x136317

Frankie Vaughan and Petula Clark, by Bob Collins - NPG x136318

Frankie Vaughan and Petula Clark

by Bob Collins
2 1/4 inch square transparency, 1950s
NPG x136318

Frankie Vaughan's 30th Birthday at the Palace Theatre, by Bob Collins - NPG x136320

Frankie Vaughan's 30th Birthday at the Palace Theatre

by Bob Collins
2 1/4 inch square transparency, 1950s
NPG x136320

Frankie Vaughan's 30th Birthday at the Palace Theatre, by Bob Collins - NPG x136321

Frankie Vaughan's 30th Birthday at the Palace Theatre

by Bob Collins
2 1/4 inch square transparency, 1950s
NPG x136321

Wee Willie Harris with his mother, by Bob Collins - NPG x136329

Wee Willie Harris with his mother

by Bob Collins
2 1/4 inch square film negative, 1950s
NPG x136329

Wee Willie Harris with his mother, by Bob Collins - NPG x136341

Wee Willie Harris with his mother

by Bob Collins
2 1/4 inch square film negative, 1950s
NPG x136341

Paul Lincoln (James McDonald Lincoln); Wee Willie Harris; Peter ('Pete') Murray (Peter Murray James), by Bob Collins - NPG x136342

Paul Lincoln (James McDonald Lincoln); Wee Willie Harris; Peter ('Pete') Murray (Peter Murray James)

by Bob Collins
2 1/4 inch square film negative, 1950s
NPG x136342

Pete Murray; Paul Lincoln; Wee Willie Harris, by Bob Collins - NPG x136343

Pete Murray; Paul Lincoln; Wee Willie Harris

by Bob Collins
2 1/4 inch square film negative, 1950s
NPG x136343

Wee Willie Harris with his mother, by Bob Collins - NPG x136433

Wee Willie Harris with his mother

by Bob Collins
2 1/4 inch square film negative, 1950s
NPG x136433

Catherine ('Kathy') Sykes; Eric Sykes; Susan Sykes, by Bob Collins - NPG x136435

Catherine ('Kathy') Sykes; Eric Sykes; Susan Sykes

by Bob Collins
2 1/4 inch square film negative, 1950s
NPG x136435

Catherine ('Kathy') Sykes; Eric Sykes; Susan Sykes, by Bob Collins - NPG x136436

Catherine ('Kathy') Sykes; Eric Sykes; Susan Sykes

by Bob Collins
2 1/4 inch square film negative, 1950s
NPG x136436

Frankie Vaughan, by Bob Collins - NPG x136592

Frankie Vaughan

by Bob Collins
bromide print, 1950s
NPG x136592

Peggy Mount, by Bob Collins - NPG x136597

Peggy Mount

by Bob Collins
bromide print, 1950s
NPG x136597

Alfred Edward ('A.E.') Matthews, by Bob Collins - NPG x136598

Alfred Edward ('A.E.') Matthews

by Bob Collins
bromide print, 1950s
NPG x136598

Ronnie Hilton (Adrian Hill), by Bob Collins - NPG x137143

Ronnie Hilton (Adrian Hill)

by Bob Collins
vintage print, 1950s
NPG x137143

Harry Corbett with 'Sooty', By Bob Collins - NPG x136299

Harry Corbett with 'Sooty'

By Bob Collins
2 1/4 inch square transparency, 1956
NPG x136299

Harry Corbett with 'Sooty', by Bob Collins - NPG x136312

Harry Corbett with 'Sooty'

by Bob Collins
2 1/4 inch square transparency, 1956
NPG x136312

Harry Corbett with 'Sooty', by Bob Collins - NPG x136322

Harry Corbett with 'Sooty'

by Bob Collins
2 1/4 inch square transparency, 1956
NPG x136322

Anna Neagle; Herbert Wilcox, by Bob Collins - NPG x136346

Anna Neagle; Herbert Wilcox

by Bob Collins
bromide print, 1956
NPG x136346

Jack Buchanan, by Bob Collins - NPG x136347

Jack Buchanan

by Bob Collins
bromide print, 1956
NPG x136347

Tommy Steele, by Bob Collins - NPG x136588

Tommy Steele

by Bob Collins
2 1/4 inch square film negative, 1956
NPG x136588

Richard Todd; Catherine Stewart Crawford Todd (née Grant-Bogle), by Bob Collins - NPG x136593

Richard Todd; Catherine Stewart Crawford Todd (née Grant-Bogle)

by Bob Collins
bromide print, 1956
NPG x136593

Leo John Genn, by Bob Collins - NPG x136594

Leo John Genn

by Bob Collins
bromide print, 1956
NPG x136594

Benny Hill, by Bob Collins - NPG x136595

Benny Hill

by Bob Collins
bromide print, 1956
NPG x136595

Harry Corbett with 'Sooty', by Bob Collins - NPG x136731

Harry Corbett with 'Sooty'

by Bob Collins
2 1/4 inch square transparency, 1956
NPG x136731

Harry Corbett, by Bob Collins - NPG x35148

Harry Corbett

by Bob Collins
bromide fibre print, 1956
NPG x35148

Tommy Steele, by Bob Collins - NPG x35157

Tommy Steele

by Bob Collins
bromide fibre print, 1956
NPG x35157

Tommy Steele, by Bob Collins - NPG x35158

Tommy Steele

by Bob Collins
modern bromide fibre print from original negative, 1956
NPG x35158

Shirley Bassey; Sharon Bassey, by Bob Collins - NPG x128714

Shirley Bassey; Sharon Bassey

by Bob Collins
selenium-toned bromide print from original negative, 1957
NPG x128714

Shirley Bassey; Sharon Bassey, by Bob Collins - NPG x128715

Shirley Bassey; Sharon Bassey

by Bob Collins
selenium-toned bromide print from original negative, 1957
NPG x128715

Shirley Bassey; Sharon Bassey, by Bob Collins - NPG x128716

Shirley Bassey; Sharon Bassey

by Bob Collins
selenium-toned bromide print from original negative, 1957
NPG x128716

Richard Bernard ('Stinker') Murdoch, by Bob Collins - NPG x35154

Richard Bernard ('Stinker') Murdoch

by Bob Collins
bromide fibre print, 1957
NPG x35154

Shirley Bassey, by Bob Collins - NPG x35146

Shirley Bassey

by Bob Collins
modern bromide print from original negative, 1957
NPG x35146

Sir Huw Wheldon, by Bob Collins - NPG x35160

Sir Huw Wheldon

by Bob Collins
bromide print, 1958
NPG x35160

The Most Brothers (Mickie Most; Alex Wharton), by Bob Collins - NPG x127202

The Most Brothers (Mickie Most; Alex Wharton)

by Bob Collins
vintage print, 1958
NPG x127202

The Most Brothers (Mickie Most; Alex Wharton), by Bob Collins - NPG x127203

The Most Brothers (Mickie Most; Alex Wharton)

by Bob Collins
vintage print, 1958
NPG x127203

The Most Brothers (Alex Wharton; Mickie Most), by Bob Collins - NPG x127204

The Most Brothers (Alex Wharton; Mickie Most)

by Bob Collins
vintage print, 1958
NPG x127204

The Most Brothers (Alex Wharton; Mickie Most), by Bob Collins - NPG x127205

The Most Brothers (Alex Wharton; Mickie Most)

by Bob Collins
vintage print, 1958
NPG x127205

The Most Brothers (Mickie Most; Alex Wharton), by Bob Collins - NPG x127206

The Most Brothers (Mickie Most; Alex Wharton)

by Bob Collins
vintage print, 1958
NPG x127206

The Most Brothers (Mickie Most; Alex Wharton), by Bob Collins - NPG x127207

The Most Brothers (Mickie Most; Alex Wharton)

by Bob Collins
vintage print, 1958
NPG x127207

Frankie Vaughan's 30th Birthday at the Palace Theatre, by Bob Collins - NPG x136319

Frankie Vaughan's 30th Birthday at the Palace Theatre

by Bob Collins
2 1/4 inch square transparency, 1958
NPG x136319

Andrée Melly, by Bob Collins - NPG x136323

Andrée Melly

by Bob Collins
2 1/4 inch square transparency, circa 1958
NPG x136323

Wee Willie Harris, by Bob Collins - NPG x136324

Wee Willie Harris

by Bob Collins
2 1/4 inch square transparency, circa 1958
NPG x136324

Wee Willie Harris, by Bob Collins - NPG x136325

Wee Willie Harris

by Bob Collins
2 1/4 inch square transparency, circa 1958
NPG x136325

Wee Willie Harris, by Bob Collins - NPG x136326

Wee Willie Harris

by Bob Collins
2 1/4 inch square transparency, circa 1958
NPG x136326

Anna Magnani, by Bob Collins - NPG x136344

Anna Magnani

by Bob Collins
bromide print, circa 1958
NPG x136344

Anna Magnani, by Bob Collins - NPG x136345

Anna Magnani

by Bob Collins
bromide print, circa 1958
NPG x136345

Ronnie Hilton (Adrian Hill), by Bob Collins - NPG x136349

Ronnie Hilton (Adrian Hill)

by Bob Collins
vintage print, circa 1958
NPG x136349

Margaret Lockwood, by Bob Collins - NPG x136350

Margaret Lockwood

by Bob Collins
bromide print, circa 1958
NPG x136350

Margaret Lockwood, by Bob Collins - NPG x136351

Margaret Lockwood

by Bob Collins
bromide print, circa 1958
NPG x136351

Margaret Lockwood, by Bob Collins - NPG x136352

Margaret Lockwood

by Bob Collins
bromide print, circa 1958
NPG x136352

Margaret Lockwood; Julia Lockwood, by Bob Collins - NPG x136353

Margaret Lockwood; Julia Lockwood

by Bob Collins
2 1/4 inch square film negative, circa 1958
NPG x136353

Margaret Lockwood; Julia Lockwood, by Bob Collins - NPG x136354

Margaret Lockwood; Julia Lockwood

by Bob Collins
2 1/4 inch square film negative, circa 1958
NPG x136354

Margaret Lockwood; Julia Lockwood; Katie Boyle, by Bob Collins - NPG x136355

Margaret Lockwood; Julia Lockwood; Katie Boyle

by Bob Collins
2 1/4 inch square film negative, circa 1958
NPG x136355

Margaret Lockwood; Julia Lockwood, by Bob Collins - NPG x136364

Margaret Lockwood; Julia Lockwood

by Bob Collins
2 1/4 inch square film negative, circa 1958
NPG x136364

Benny Hill, by Bob Collins - NPG x136434

Benny Hill

by Bob Collins
2 1/4 inch square film negative, 1958
NPG x136434

Anna Magnani, by Bob Collins - NPG x136439

Anna Magnani

by Bob Collins
2 1/4 inch square film negative, circa 1958
NPG x136439

Anna Magnani, by Bob Collins - NPG x136440

Anna Magnani

by Bob Collins
2 1/4 inch square film negative, circa 1958
NPG x136440

Shirley Eaton; Colin Lenton-Rowe, by Bob Collins - NPG x136443

Shirley Eaton; Colin Lenton-Rowe

by Bob Collins
2 1/4 inch square film negative, circa 1958
NPG x136443

Tell us more back to top

Can you tell us more about this person? Spotted an error, information that is missing (a sitter’s life dates, occupation or family relationships, or a date of portrait for example) or do you know anything that we don't know? If you have information to share please complete the form below.

If you require information from us, please use our Archive enquiry service. You can buy a print of most illustrated portraits. Select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Buy a Print button. Prices start at £6 for unframed prints, £25 for framed prints. If you wish to license an image, please use our Rights and Images service.

Please note that we cannot provide valuations.

We digitise over 8,000 portraits a year and we cannot guarantee being able to digitise images that are not already scheduled.

What can you tell us?close

There are occasions when we are unsure of the identity of a sitter or artist, their life dates, occupation or have not recorded their family relationships. Sometimes we have not recorded the date of a portrait. Do you have specialist knowledge or a particular interest about any aspect of the portrait or sitter or artist that you can share with us? We would welcome any information that adds to and enhances our information and understanding about a particular portrait, sitter or artist.

Citationclose

How do you know this? Please could you let us know your source of information.

* Permission to publish (Privacy information)
Privacy Informationclose

The National Portrait Gallery will NOT use your information to contact you or store for any other purpose than to investigate or display your contribution. By ticking permission to publish you are indicating your agreement for your contribution to be shown on this collection item page. Please note your email address will not be displayed on the page nor will it be used for any marketing material or promotion of any kind.

Please ensure your comments are relevant and appropriate. Your contributions must be polite and with no intention of causing trouble. All contributions are moderated.

Your Emailclose

Contributions are moderated. We'll need your email address so that we can follow up on the information provided and contact you to let you know when your contribution has been published.