Princess Feodora was the youngest daughter of Queen Victoria's half-sister, Feodora, and Ernest, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. She was her mother's favourite child and was described as 'a fine girl – immensely tall'. She married George II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen in 1858 as his second wife, but he proved to be an unfaithful husband.

Together with the portrait 'Princess Charlotte of Belgium', these are the earliest works that Phillip painted for Queen Victoria. In 1858 he was entrusted with the commission for the commemorative work 'The Marriage of the Princess Royal, 25 January 1858' which hangs in Buckingham Palace; much time and care went into both the commissioning and execution of this painting, which includes accurate portraits of all the Royal Family.

Signed: John Phillip. Inscribed on the back with the names of artist and sitter and the date, November 1852.