25 OF 33 
Sir Alec Guinness; Merula Silvia (née Salaman), Lady Guinness; Matthew Guinness
25 of 33 portraits of Sir Alec Guinness
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Sir Alec Guinness; Merula Silvia (née Salaman), Lady Guinness; Matthew Guinness
by Jimmy Wilds, for Keystone Press Agency Ltd
bromide press print, 31 July 1957
8 5/8 in. x 7 1/2 in. (218 mm x 189 mm) image size
Transferred from Evening Standard Library, before 1983
Photographs Collection
NPG x184385
Sittersback to top
- Sir Alec Guinness (1914-2000), Actor. Sitter associated with 33 portraits. Identify
- Matthew Guinness (1940-), Actor; son of Sir Alec Guinness. Sitter in 1 portrait. Identify
- Merula Silvia (née Salaman), Lady Guinness (1914-2000), Wife of Sir Alec Guinness; daughter of Michel Hewitt Salaman. Sitter in 1 portrait. Identify
Artistsback to top
- Keystone Press Agency Ltd, Photographers. Artist or producer associated with 190 portraits.
- Jimmy Wilds (active mid 20th century), Photographer. Artist or producer associated with 11 portraits.
This portraitback to top
In 1938 Guinness married Merula Silvia Salaman whom he had met in 1935. She had studied at the Slade School of Art and had exhibited alongside Picasso and Braque, among others. She later became an actress and met Guinness during a production of Noah in which she played a tiger and Guinness played the part of a wolf. She retired from the stage soon after they married and remained Guinness's steadfast companion for over sixty years. The couple are shown here with their seventeen-year old son on the way to a holiday in Majorca after Guinness had completed filming the Ealing Studio comedy Barnacle Bill.
Events of 1957back to top
Current affairs
Harold Macmillan takes over as Conservative prime minister, manoeuvring Eden out of power after his poor handling of the Suez Crisis the previous year.The Wolfenden Report recommends that homosexuality should no longer be a criminal offence. It still took ten years, however, before any changes were made to the law on homosexuality with the Sexual Offences Act in 1967.
Art and science
The Today Programme is first broadcast on Radio 4. This early morning current affairs programme is known for breaking major stories early, and for its hard-hitting approach and tough interviewing style. Presenters have included: Robert Robinson, Brian Redhead, Libby Purves, Jenni Murray, Sue MacGregor, John Humphrys, Anna Ford and James Naughtie.International
The Treaty of Rome leads to the formation of the European Economic Community. Officially beginning on 1st January 1958, the EEC established a European Common Market, where goods, services, labour and capital could move freely within the European member countries, and shared policies were agreed for labour, social welfare, agriculture, transport, and foreign trade. The EEC preceded the European Community, and the European Union.Comments back to top
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