Mumtaz Husain is identified as 'Indian Chef to the Queen' in an illustrated article on 'The Queen's Personal Interest in India', by Ahmad Raffiuddin, The English Illustrated Magazine, 1898. Raffiuddin (who is also the subject of a portrait by Swoboda in the Royal Collection, RCIN 403825) goes on to describe the important role played by Husain in Anglo-Indian diplomacy on behalf of Queen Victoria,' ‘the Shahzada Nasrullah Khan, an orthodox Muslem prince, who abstained from food at the entertainment given to him at the India Office, on religious grounds, did full justice to the Indian dishes at the royal table on the occasion of his visit to the Queen’.  This may have been because Husain was able to observe Halal in preparing royal dishes at Windsor, Osborne and Balmoral. In this portrait, Husain is depicted in the scarlet livery of the Queen’s ‘Indian attendants’, with gold braid and an embroidered ‘VRI’ cipher on his chest; wearing a white pagri with blue and gold stripes.

Rudolf Swoboda was born in Vienna in 1859 and studied under his uncle Leopold Carl Müller between 1878 and 1884. 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'.