diff --git a/web/apps/photos/src/components/Collections/GalleryBarAndListHeader.tsx b/web/apps/photos/src/components/Collections/GalleryBarAndListHeader.tsx
index 882879e7ba..e34768d212 100644
--- a/web/apps/photos/src/components/Collections/GalleryBarAndListHeader.tsx
+++ b/web/apps/photos/src/components/Collections/GalleryBarAndListHeader.tsx
@@ -170,11 +170,13 @@ export const GalleryBarAndListHeader: React.FC<CollectionsProps> = ({
                         }
                         onCollectionCast={() => setOpenAlbumCastDialog(true)}
                     />
-                ) : (
+                ) : activePerson ? (
                     <PeopleHeader
                         person={activePerson}
                         {...{ onSelectPerson, appContext }}
                     />
+                ) : (
+                    <></>
                 ),
             itemType: ITEM_TYPE.HEADER,
             height: 68,
diff --git a/web/apps/photos/src/pages/gallery.tsx b/web/apps/photos/src/pages/gallery.tsx
index 05a3b03577..3cbf5ef0cd 100644
--- a/web/apps/photos/src/pages/gallery.tsx
+++ b/web/apps/photos/src/pages/gallery.tsx
@@ -565,8 +565,9 @@ export default function Gallery() {
             let filteredPeople = people ?? [];
             if (tempDeletedFileIds?.size ?? tempHiddenFileIds?.size) {
                 // Prune the in-memory temp updates from the actual state to
-                // obtain the UI state.
-                filteredPeople = (people ?? [])
+                // obtain the UI state. Kept inside an preflight check to so
+                // that the common path remains fast.
+                filteredPeople = filteredPeople
                     .map((p) => ({
                         ...p,
                         fileIDs: p.fileIDs.filter(
@@ -579,6 +580,8 @@ export default function Gallery() {
             }
             const activePerson =
                 filteredPeople.find((p) => p.id == activePersonID) ??
+                // We don't have an "All" pseudo-album in people mode currently,
+                // so default to the first person in the list.
                 filteredPeople[0];
             const pfSet = new Set(activePerson?.fileIDs ?? []);
             filteredFiles = getUniqueFiles(
@@ -589,7 +592,6 @@ export default function Gallery() {
             );
             galleryPeopleState = {
                 activePerson,
-                activePersonID,
                 people: filteredPeople,
             };
         } else {
@@ -681,31 +683,6 @@ export default function Gallery() {
         galleryPeopleState: undefined,
     };
 
-    // Calling setState during rendering is frowned upon for good reasons, but
-    // it is not verboten, and it has documented semantics:
-    //
-    // > React will discard the currently rendering component's output and
-    // > immediately attempt to render it again with the new state.
-    // >
-    // > https://react.dev/reference/react/useState
-    //
-    // That said, we should try to refactor this code to use a reducer or some
-    // other store so that this is not needed.
-    if (barMode == "people" && galleryPeopleState?.people.length === 0) {
-        log.info(
-            "Resetting gallery to all section since people mode is no longer valid",
-        );
-        setBarMode("albums");
-        setActiveCollectionID(ALL_SECTION);
-    }
-
-    // Derived1 is async, leading to even more workarounds.
-    const resolvedBarMode = galleryPeopleState
-        ? barMode
-        : barMode == "people"
-          ? "albums"
-          : barMode;
-
     const selectAll = (e: KeyboardEvent) => {
         // ignore ctrl/cmd + a if the user is typing in a text field
         if (
@@ -736,14 +713,13 @@ export default function Gallery() {
             count: 0,
             collectionID: activeCollectionID,
             context:
-                resolvedBarMode == "people" &&
-                galleryPeopleState?.activePersonID
+                barMode == "people" && galleryPeopleState?.activePerson?.id
                     ? {
                           mode: "people" as const,
-                          personID: galleryPeopleState.activePersonID,
+                          personID: galleryPeopleState.activePerson.id,
                       }
                     : {
-                          mode: resolvedBarMode as "albums" | "hidden-albums",
+                          mode: barMode as "albums" | "hidden-albums",
                           collectionID: ensure(activeCollectionID),
                       },
         };
@@ -1114,12 +1090,7 @@ export default function Gallery() {
     };
 
     const handleSelectPerson = (person: Person | undefined) => {
-        // The person bar currently does not have an "all" mode, so default to
-        // the first person when no specific person is provided. This can happen
-        // when the user clicks the "People" header in the search empty state (it
-        // is guaranteed that this header will only be shown if there is at
-        // least one person).
-        setActivePersonID(person?.id ?? galleryPeopleState?.people[0]?.id);
+        setActivePersonID(person?.id);
         setBarMode("people");
     };
 
@@ -1214,7 +1185,7 @@ export default function Gallery() {
                         marginBottom: "12px",
                     }}
                 >
-                    {resolvedBarMode == "hidden-albums" ? (
+                    {barMode == "hidden-albums" ? (
                         <HiddenSectionNavbarContents
                             onBack={exitHiddenSection}
                         />
@@ -1235,15 +1206,14 @@ export default function Gallery() {
                 <GalleryBarAndListHeader
                     {...{
                         shouldHide: isInSearchMode,
-                        mode: resolvedBarMode,
+                        mode: barMode,
                         onChangeMode: setBarMode,
                         collectionSummaries,
                         activeCollection,
                         activeCollectionID,
                         setActiveCollectionID,
                         hiddenCollectionSummaries,
-                        people: galleryPeopleState?.people,
-                        activePersonID: galleryPeopleState?.activePersonID,
+                        people: galleryPeopleState?.people ?? [],
                         activePerson: galleryPeopleState?.activePerson,
                         onSelectPerson: handleSelectPerson,
                         setCollectionNamerAttributes,
@@ -1303,12 +1273,14 @@ export default function Gallery() {
                 />
                 {showEmptySectionState && activeCollectionID === ALL_SECTION ? (
                     <GalleryEmptyState openUploader={openUploader} />
-                ) : showEmptySectionState && resolvedBarMode == "people" ? (
+                ) : showEmptySectionState &&
+                  barMode == "people" &&
+                  !galleryPeopleState?.activePerson ? (
                     <div>Empty</div>
                 ) : (
                     <PhotoFrame
                         page={PAGES.GALLERY}
-                        mode={resolvedBarMode}
+                        mode={barMode}
                         files={filteredData}
                         syncWithRemote={syncWithRemote}
                         favItemIds={favItemIds}
@@ -1318,14 +1290,14 @@ export default function Gallery() {
                         setTempDeletedFileIds={setTempDeletedFileIds}
                         setIsPhotoSwipeOpen={setIsPhotoSwipeOpen}
                         activeCollectionID={activeCollectionID}
-                        activePersonID={galleryPeopleState?.activePersonID}
+                        activePersonID={galleryPeopleState?.activePerson?.id}
                         enableDownload={true}
                         fileToCollectionsMap={fileToCollectionsMap}
                         collectionNameMap={collectionNameMap}
                         showAppDownloadBanner={
                             files.length < 30 && !isInSearchMode
                         }
-                        isInHiddenSection={resolvedBarMode == "hidden-albums"}
+                        isInHiddenSection={barMode == "hidden-albums"}
                         setFilesDownloadProgressAttributesCreator={
                             setFilesDownloadProgressAttributesCreator
                         }
@@ -1347,7 +1319,7 @@ export default function Gallery() {
                             count={selected.count}
                             ownCount={selected.ownCount}
                             clearSelection={clearSelection}
-                            barMode={resolvedBarMode}
+                            barMode={barMode}
                             activeCollectionID={activeCollectionID}
                             selectedCollection={getSelectedCollection(
                                 selected.collectionID,
@@ -1368,9 +1340,7 @@ export default function Gallery() {
                                     ?.type == "incomingShareViewer"
                             }
                             isInSearchMode={isInSearchMode}
-                            isInHiddenSection={
-                                resolvedBarMode == "hidden-albums"
-                            }
+                            isInHiddenSection={barMode == "hidden-albums"}
                         />
                     )}
                 <ExportModal
diff --git a/web/packages/new/photos/components/Gallery/BarImpl.tsx b/web/packages/new/photos/components/Gallery/BarImpl.tsx
index ce1153d8bd..21ca50f357 100644
--- a/web/packages/new/photos/components/Gallery/BarImpl.tsx
+++ b/web/packages/new/photos/components/Gallery/BarImpl.tsx
@@ -94,9 +94,7 @@ export interface GalleryBarImplProps {
      */
     people: Person[];
     /**
-     * The currently selected person.
-     *
-     * Required if mode is "people".
+     * The currently selected person, if any.
      */
     activePerson: Person | undefined;
     /**
@@ -212,7 +210,7 @@ export const GalleryBarImpl: React.FC<GalleryBarImplProps> = ({
                 : {
                       type: "people" as const,
                       people,
-                      activePerson: ensure(activePerson),
+                      activePerson,
                       onSelectPerson,
                   },
         [
@@ -404,7 +402,7 @@ type ItemData =
     | {
           type: "people";
           people: Person[];
-          activePerson: Person;
+          activePerson: Person | undefined;
           onSelectPerson: (person: Person) => void;
       };
 
@@ -570,7 +568,7 @@ const ActiveIndicator = styled("div")`
 
 interface PersonCardProps {
     person: Person;
-    activePerson: Person;
+    activePerson: Person | undefined;
     onSelectPerson: (person: Person) => void;
 }
 
@@ -588,6 +586,6 @@ const PersonCard: React.FC<PersonCardProps> = ({
         >
             {person.name && <CardText text={person.name} />}
         </ItemCard>
-        {activePerson.id === person.id && <ActiveIndicator />}
+        {activePerson?.id === person.id && <ActiveIndicator />}
     </Box>
 );
diff --git a/web/packages/new/photos/components/Gallery/PeopleHeader.tsx b/web/packages/new/photos/components/Gallery/PeopleHeader.tsx
index ad6e71925f..8f13eb60c5 100644
--- a/web/packages/new/photos/components/Gallery/PeopleHeader.tsx
+++ b/web/packages/new/photos/components/Gallery/PeopleHeader.tsx
@@ -40,19 +40,12 @@ import { GalleryItemsHeaderAdapter, GalleryItemsSummary } from "./ListHeader";
  */
 export interface GalleryPeopleState {
     /**
-     * The ID of the currently selected person.
+     * The currently selected person, if any.
      *
-     * We do not have an empty state currently, so this is guaranteed to be
-     * present whenever the gallery is in the "people" mode.
+     * Whenever this is present, it is guaranteed to be one of the items from
+     * within {@link people}.
      */
-    activePersonID: string;
-    /**
-     * The currently selected person.
-     *
-     * This is a convenience property that contains a direct reference to the
-     * active {@link Person} from amongst {@link people}.
-     */
-    activePerson: Person;
+    activePerson: Person | undefined;
     /**
      * The list of people to show.
      */