Anton Weber (1833-1909) was a pupil of Julius Huebner at the Academy in Dresden. Known mainly for portraiture, he was awarded medals in 1859 and 1860 in Dresden. He taught in the Academy in Berlin.

Prince Frederick William of Prussia (1831-88), known affectionately as ‘Fritz’, was the only son of William I, King of Prussia, Emperor of Germany, and Augusta, daughter of Charles Frederick, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. In 1858 he married Victoria, Princess Royal, the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Though a victorious commander in the Prussian War (1870 – 71), his liberal sympathies made his position at court in the following years difficult. He succeeded his father as Emperor in 1888, but ruled for only 98 days, before succumbing to throat cancer.

In a letter of 27th December 1889, Queen Victoria expresses her pleasure on receiving the gift of this portrait from her lately-widowed daughter; then known as the Empress Frederick; 'A thousand, thousand thanks for your dear precious gift from you and all your children. The picture is beautiful, very like, and very well painted and just what I wished. The dear hands are so well done too.' 

The Crown Prince appears three-quarter length, standing, facing half to the left; he wears the uniform of the 2nd Prussian Cuirassier Regiment, with the neck badges of the Iron Cross and Pour le Merite, and the star of the Order of the Black Eagle on his cuirass.