diff --git a/include/core/application.hpp b/include/core/application.hpp
index 35f5be0f..d54472af 100644
--- a/include/core/application.hpp
+++ b/include/core/application.hpp
@@ -154,6 +154,11 @@ private:
     ui::WidgetRenderer widgetRenderer_;
     /// The live head-and-shoulders view the interface's portrait draws.
     ui::UnitPortrait unitPortrait_;
+    /// Where the portrait's widget was found last time. Ids are stable, so
+    /// this saves a scan of every widget by name on every frame; the name is
+    /// still checked, because reloading the interface rebuilds the tree and
+    /// the id could then belong to something else.
+    uint32_t portraitWidgetId_ = 0;
     bool addonsLoaded_ = false;
     std::unique_ptr<game::ExpansionRegistry> expansionRegistry_;
     // Empty means assets follow the active protocol profile. "legacy" selects
diff --git a/src/core/application.cpp b/src/core/application.cpp
index be49e11b..725cb837 100644
--- a/src/core/application.cpp
+++ b/src/core/application.cpp
@@ -2873,9 +2873,14 @@ void Application::render() {
                 // descriptor set that has been destroyed — the render target is
                 // torn down whenever the model is rebuilt — and drawing from
                 // that is a use-after-free rather than a stale picture.
-                if (auto* w = engine->widgets().findByName("PlayerPortrait")) {
-                    w->externalTexture = unitPortrait_.textureId();
+                auto& widgets = engine->widgets();
+                ui::Widget* portrait = portraitWidgetId_
+                    ? widgets.get(portraitWidgetId_) : nullptr;
+                if (!portrait || portrait->name != "PlayerPortrait") {
+                    portrait = widgets.findByName("PlayerPortrait");
+                    portraitWidgetId_ = portrait ? portrait->id : 0;
                 }
+                if (portrait) portrait->externalTexture = unitPortrait_.textureId();
             }
 
             // Lay out first: hit testing reads the rects this produces, so