Guilhermina Suggia Country Life Magazine Portrait February 14 1925

Madame Guilhermina Suggia Country Life Magazine Portrait, Frontispiece, February 14 1925. LVII No. 1467

The featured frontispiece this week is a portrait of Madame Suggia, by Augustus John, A.R.A. - This famous picture, acknowledged immediately on its exhibition in 1923 as Mr. Augustus John's masterpiece, has been purchased from Mr. Clyde, jun., of New York, by Sir Joseph Duveen, and generously presented to the Tate Gallery, its most fitting home.

• The Subject: Madame Guilhermina Suggia, one of the first great female cello soloists and a leading figure in early 20th-century classical music.
• Musical Career: An internationally celebrated virtuoso cellist, she helped establish the cello as a solo concert instrument and was widely admired for her powerful technique and expressive playing.
• The Portrait: Painted by Augustus John between 1920 and 1923, the work required over 70 sittings, during which Suggia reportedly played Bach to help the artist capture her natural musical posture.
• Recognition: The portrait was immediately acclaimed as one of Augustus John’s finest works and won first prize when exhibited at the Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh in 1924.
• Acquisition: It was later purchased by the prominent art dealer Sir Joseph Duveen, who generously presented it to the Tate Gallery in 1925.
• Marriage: In 1927, at the age of 42, she married Dr. José Casimiro Carteado Mena, a Portuguese physician and X-ray specialist. The couple lived between England and Portugal before settling permanently in Portugal during the Second World War.
• Earlier Relationship: Prior to her marriage, she had a well-known long-term relationship with fellow cellist Pablo Casals, with whom she lived and performed extensively, although they were never legally married.
• Children: She had no children, dedicating her life largely to her demanding international musical career.
• Legacy: Her influence continued through initiatives such as the “Suggia Gift”, a scholarship fund established in her will to support young cellists, and through her later work mentoring students at the Porto Conservatory.

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.