Francis (1768-1835) was the son of Leopold II whom he succeeded as the last Holy Roman Emperor in 1792. In 1804, he assumed the title of Francis I, Emperor of Austria. He was repeatedly defeated by the armies of Napoleon during the French Revolutionary Wars and his territory steadily diminished, culminating in the abolition of the Holy Roman Empire. Francis abdicated as Holy Roman Emperor in 1806. In 1810, Prince Metternich secured the marriage of Francis' daughter, Marie Louise, to Napoleon. Austria was preserved by this alliance and, in 1813, Francis joined the coalition that defeated Napoleon. He then formed the Holy Alliance. His first marriage was to Elizabeth of Württemberg in 1788. In 1790, he married Maria Theresa, daughter of the King of Naples, and in 1808, he married his third wife, Maria d’Este. His fourth wife was Caroline Augusta of Bavaria, whom he married in 1816.

The portrait was previously attributed to Johann Heinrich Tischbein (1722-/1789) (as late as 1961 when the picture was included in a large exhibition of German Art at Manchester City Art Gallery), however it is conceivable that it is by a member of a later generation of the Tischbein family of artists – a dynasty which spanned three generations. The sitter is depicted wearing a black jacket with a red stand-up collar, the Star of Maria Theresa, and St Stephen and the insignia of the Golden Fleece on a red sash of Order of Maria Theresa about his neck.

Francis I was later painted by Sir Thomas Lawrence at the Congresses of Aix-la-Chapelle and Vienna in 1818-9 to commemorate his contribution in the defeat of Napoleon; the portrait was intended for the 'Waterloo Chamber' at Windsor (RCIN 404943).