Sir John Simon Country Life Magazine Portrait January 28 1928

Sir John Simon Country Life Magazine Portrait, Frontispiece, January 28 1928. LXIII No. 1619

The featured frontispiece this week is a portrait of The Rt. Hon. Sir John Simon, K.C.V.O., a leading British politician and lawyer.

• Identity: Sir John Simon (1873–1954), a prominent figure in British political and legal life.
• Simon Commission: In 1928, he chaired the Indian Statutory Commission, widely known as the Simon Commission, tasked with reviewing constitutional reforms in India.
• Controversy: The commission was met with widespread protests upon its arrival in India, as it contained no Indian members, leading to the slogan “Simon Go Back”.
• Historical Impact: Protests against the commission included demonstrations in Lahore, where nationalist leader Lala Lajpat Rai was fatally injured, intensifying the Indian independence movement.
• Political Career: Sir John Simon was one of the few individuals to hold all three major offices of state—Home Secretary, Foreign Secretary, and Chancellor of the Exchequer.
• Standing: At the time, he was a Liberal MP and among the most successful barristers in Britain.
• Legacy: His work contributed to the eventual Government of India Act 1935, though his 1928 mission remains a defining and controversial episode.

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.