diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/usermodel/HSSFPicture.java b/src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/usermodel/HSSFPicture.java
index 8b3b980fc8..e2d64f96b0 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/usermodel/HSSFPicture.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/poi/hssf/usermodel/HSSFPicture.java
@@ -204,7 +204,17 @@ public class HSSFPicture extends HSSFSimpleShape implements Picture {
      * @return picture data for this shape
      */
     public HSSFPictureData getPictureData(){
-        InternalWorkbook iwb = getPatriarch().getSheet().getWorkbook().getWorkbook();
+        HSSFPatriarch patriarch = getPatriarch();
+        HSSFShape parent = getParent();
+        while(patriarch == null && parent != null) {
+            patriarch = parent.getPatriarch();
+            parent = parent.getParent();
+        }
+        if(patriarch == null) {
+            throw new IllegalStateException("Could not find a patriarch for a HSSPicture");
+        }
+
+        InternalWorkbook iwb = patriarch.getSheet().getWorkbook().getWorkbook();
         EscherBSERecord bse = iwb.getBSERecord(getPictureIndex());
     	EscherBlipRecord blipRecord = bse.getBlipRecord();
     	return new HSSFPictureData(blipRecord);
diff --git a/src/ooxml/testcases/org/apache/poi/ss/extractor/TestEmbeddedExtractor.java b/src/ooxml/testcases/org/apache/poi/ss/extractor/TestEmbeddedExtractor.java
index c8942965d8..669fd33813 100644
--- a/src/ooxml/testcases/org/apache/poi/ss/extractor/TestEmbeddedExtractor.java
+++ b/src/ooxml/testcases/org/apache/poi/ss/extractor/TestEmbeddedExtractor.java
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 package org.apache.poi.ss.extractor;
 
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertNotNull;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.InputStream;
@@ -30,6 +31,8 @@ import javax.xml.bind.DatatypeConverter;
 
 import org.apache.poi.EncryptedDocumentException;
 import org.apache.poi.POIDataSamples;
+import org.apache.poi.hssf.HSSFTestDataSamples;
+import org.apache.poi.hssf.usermodel.HSSFWorkbook;
 import org.apache.poi.openxml4j.exceptions.InvalidFormatException;
 import org.apache.poi.ss.usermodel.Sheet;
 import org.apache.poi.ss.usermodel.Workbook;
@@ -112,4 +115,20 @@ public class TestEmbeddedExtractor {
             throw new RuntimeException(e);
         }
     }
+
+
+    @Test
+    public void testNPE() throws IOException {
+        HSSFWorkbook wb = HSSFTestDataSamples.openSampleWorkbook("angelo.edu_content_files_19555-nsse-2011-multiyear-benchmark.xls");
+        EmbeddedExtractor ee = new EmbeddedExtractor();
+
+        for (Sheet s : wb) {
+            for (EmbeddedData ed : ee.extractAll(s)) {
+                assertNotNull(ed.getFilename());
+                assertNotNull(ed.getEmbeddedData());
+                assertNotNull(ed.getShape());
+            }
+        }
+
+    }
 }
diff --git a/test-data/spreadsheet/angelo.edu_content_files_19555-nsse-2011-multiyear-benchmark.xls b/test-data/spreadsheet/angelo.edu_content_files_19555-nsse-2011-multiyear-benchmark.xls
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..bff2dea560
Binary files /dev/null and b/test-data/spreadsheet/angelo.edu_content_files_19555-nsse-2011-multiyear-benchmark.xls differ