diff --git a/gui/gui/src/TGGC.cxx b/gui/gui/src/TGGC.cxx
index 0078ccf465c5c..7d5b52071a2a9 100644
--- a/gui/gui/src/TGGC.cxx
+++ b/gui/gui/src/TGGC.cxx
@@ -50,7 +50,6 @@ TGGC::TGGC(GCValues_t *values, Bool_t)
       }
    } else {
       fValues = {};
-      fContext = 0;
    }
    SetRefCount(1);
 }
@@ -61,20 +60,14 @@ TGGC::TGGC(GCValues_t *values, Bool_t)
 TGGC::TGGC(GCValues_t *values)
 {
    fContext = 0;
+   SetRefCount(1);
    // case of default ctor at program startup before gClient exists
-   if (!values) {
+   if (!values)
       fValues = {};
-      fContext = 0;
-      SetRefCount(1);
-      return;
-   }
-
-   if (gClient)
+   else if (gClient)
       gClient->GetGC(values, kTRUE);
-   else {
-      fContext = 0;
+   else
       Error("TGGC", "TGClient not yet initialized, should never happen");
-   }
 }
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
diff --git a/gui/gui/src/TGLabel.cxx b/gui/gui/src/TGLabel.cxx
index 9c309c0cbf2e1..7875c1c4b2af2 100644
--- a/gui/gui/src/TGLabel.cxx
+++ b/gui/gui/src/TGLabel.cxx
@@ -340,8 +340,8 @@ void TGLabel::SetTextFont(TGFont *font, Bool_t global)
    if (!global) {
       if (gc == &GetDefaultGC() ) { // create new GC
          gc = pool->GetGC((GCValues_t*)gc->GetAttributes(), kTRUE); // copy ctor.
+         fHasOwnFont = kTRUE;
       }
-      fHasOwnFont = kTRUE;
    }
    if (oldfont != fgDefaultFont) {
       fClient->FreeFont(oldfont);
@@ -366,8 +366,8 @@ void TGLabel::SetTextColor(Pixel_t color, Bool_t global)
    if (!global) {
       if (gc == &GetDefaultGC() ) {
          gc = pool->GetGC((GCValues_t*)gc->GetAttributes(), kTRUE); // copy
+         fHasOwnFont = kTRUE;
       }
-      fHasOwnFont = kTRUE;
    }
    if (gc) {
       gc->SetForeground(color);
diff --git a/gui/gui/src/TGPicture.cxx b/gui/gui/src/TGPicture.cxx
index 1b4d74771dc8a..2776dbb6387ce 100644
--- a/gui/gui/src/TGPicture.cxx
+++ b/gui/gui/src/TGPicture.cxx
@@ -94,42 +94,36 @@ const TGPicture *TGPicturePool::GetPicture(const char *name)
 
    TGPicture *pic = (TGPicture *)fPicList->FindObject(pname);
    if (pic && !pic->IsScaled()) {
-      if (pic->fPic == kNone)
-         return 0;
+      // in batch mode allow to return dummy image
+      if ((pic->fPic == kNone) && !gROOT->IsBatch())
+         return nullptr;
       pic->AddReference();
       return pic;
    }
 
    char *picnam = gSystem->Which(fPath, pname, kReadPermission);
-   if (!picnam) {
-      pic = new TGPicture(pname);
-      pic->fAttributes.fColormap  = fClient->GetDefaultColormap();
-      pic->fAttributes.fCloseness = 40000; // Allow for "similar" colors
-      pic->fAttributes.fMask      = kPASize | kPAColormap | kPACloseness;
-      fPicList->Add(pic);
-      return 0;
-   }
 
-   TImage *img = TImage::Open(picnam);
+   TImage *img = picnam ? TImage::Open(picnam) : nullptr;
+
+   delete [] picnam;
+
    if (!img) {
       pic = new TGPicture(pname);
       pic->fAttributes.fColormap  = fClient->GetDefaultColormap();
       pic->fAttributes.fCloseness = 40000; // Allow for "similar" colors
       pic->fAttributes.fMask      = kPASize | kPAColormap | kPACloseness;
       fPicList->Add(pic);
-      delete [] picnam;
-      return 0;
+      return nullptr;
    }
 
    pic = new TGPicture(pname, img->GetPixmap(), img->GetMask());
-   delete [] picnam;
    delete img;
    fPicList->Add(pic);
    return pic;
 }
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-/// Like TGPicturePool::GetPicture() but, instead of returning null when the 
+/// Like TGPicturePool::GetPicture() but, instead of returning null when the
 /// picture is not found, it returns a valid empty picture.
 
 const TGPicture *TGPicturePool::GetPictureOrEmpty(const char *name)