Lady Zia Wernher nee Anastasia de Torby Country Life Magazine Portrait March 16 1929

Lady Zia Wernher nee Anastasia de Torby and Colonel H. A. Wernher Country Life Magazine Portrait, Frontispiece, March 16 1929. LXV No. 1678

The featured frontispiece this week is a portrait of Colonel H. A. Wernher, D.S.O., and Lady Zia Wernher, a distinguished couple in British society.

• Lady Zia Wernher: Born Anastasia de Torby, she was the elder daughter of Grand Duke Michael of Russia and the Countess de Torby. She became a prominent society figure in Britain and was also known for her involvement in horse racing.
• Colonel H. A. Wernher: Colonel Harold Augustus Wernher, D.S.O., was the second son of Sir Julius Wernher, a wealthy financier and art collector. He served with distinction in the military and was joint Master of the Fernie Hunt.
• Marriage: The couple married in 1917, uniting Russian aristocratic lineage with British wealth and influence.
• Family: They had three children:
  • Captain George Michael Alexander Wernher (1918–1942): Killed in action during the Second World War.
  • Georgina Wernher (1919–2011): A notable socialite whose descendants include prominent members of British high society.
  • Myra Alice Wernher (1925–2022): A close friend of the Royal Family in later life.
• Social Context: Their portrait reflects the merging of European royal heritage and British aristocratic life during the interwar period.

This is an authentic original page from Country Life magazine, part of the iconic series often affectionately referred to as the “Girls in Pearls” portraits — elegant society images that captured a distinctive era of British publishing and portraiture.

Size: Approximately 13.75 x 9 inches (35 x 23 cm)

Condition: Very good for its age. As with all vintage magazine pages, light signs of handling or minor age-related blemishes may be present. Please review the large photo carefully for full condition details.

This original Country Life Magazine frontispiece portrait forms part of The Old Map Shop’s curated archive of society portraits published between 1897 and 2026.