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.