Born in Freiburg im Breisgau, Graefle studied in Munich with two artists of the ‘Nazarene movement’, Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (1794-1872) and Peter von Cornelius (1784-1867). He was a close associate of Franz Xaver Winterhalter and was sometimes employed by the royal family as a worthy and more tractable substitute. Prince Arthur (1850–1942) was the third son and seventh of the nine children of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. He was born on 1 May 1850, the birthday of his godfather, the Duke of Wellington, after whom he was named Arthur. He had a career in the army and became Governor-General of Canada. Graefle apparently found it ‘difficult to get a characteristic likeness of the Prince’ according to a contemporary account. Signed and dated: A Graefle /1864.