Victoria (1819–1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom from 1837
to 1901. Shortly after her accession to the throne, Sully
decided to visit his native England. The Society of the Sons of
St. George, a charitable institution in Philadelphia, adopted a
resolution to have Sully paint the Queen during this visit.
Victoria sat for Sully throughout March, April and May of 1838
and he painted a number of sketches including this one. After
his return to this country, he painted a number of pictures
based on his sketches. A version for the Society of St. George
aroused controversy when the society sought unsuccessfully to
have the rights for making copies of the work removed from the
artist.