This is one of over 40 portraits of people from South Asia painted at the request of Queen Victoria. Mir Abdullah was a Muslim, aged 50 and born near Delhi. He was from the Mirza caste, a schoolmaster and teacher in the vernacular, Hindi. 

Rudolf Swoboda was born in Vienna in 1859 and studied under his uncle Leopold Carl Müller between 1878 and 1884. It was from Müller that Swoboda developed an interest in Orientalist art, cemented by a visit to see his uncle in Egypt in 1879. This marked the first of six visits made by the artist to Egypt between 1880 and 1891.

Between 1885 and 1892 Swoboda worked for Queen Victoria. On the 7 October 1886 he travelled to India, passing through Afghanistan and Kashmir on route, to undertake a commission from the sovereign. Queen Victoria paid for his passage and gave him £300 to cover his travelling expenses. In return he was to provide the Queen with sketches worth £300. The Queen gave Swoboda specific instructions: 'The Sketches Her Majesty wishes to have – are of the various types of the different nationalities. They should consist of heads of the same size as those already done for The Queen, and also small full lengths, as well as sketches of landscapes, buildings, and other scenes. Her Majesty does not want any large pictures done at first, but thinks that perhaps you could bring away material for making them should they eventually be wished for.' When Sir Howard Elphinstone, a contemporary, saw some of the sketches in 1888 he observed: 'They are very clever indeed, most characteristic of the different types, & drawn with wonderful vigour'. When Queen Victoria received them she was very pleased and thought them 'such lovely heads… beautiful things'.