This painting is a life-size replica of the artist's earlier portrait of 1838 (401213). According to his notes it remained in his studio 'as I was to retain it for copying, for the Foreign Embassies and Presentation Copies'. Sir David Wilkie, the Principal Painter in Ordinary to the Queen, had produced a State Portrait of Queen Victoria which was shown at the Royal Academy in 1840 and which the Queen detested. Hayter's portrait was to replace Wilkie's image and versions were sent to British Embassies worldwide, including Paris, India, China, Turkey, Austria, Russia and Persia. Hayter succeeded Wilkie as Principal Painter in Ordinary in 1841.

Signed and dated: G. Hayter Pinxit 1840