Primarily a portraitist, Alexandre Dubois-Drahonet (1791-1829) worked for the French courts of Charles X and Louis-Philippe. His work is marked out by a clarity of line and understanding of light and shade acquired from Ingres.

In 1832 William IV commissioned the artist to paint his niece, the future Queen Victoria (RCIN 407006). This was part of a much larger commission to paint a series of one hundred pictures of soldiers that charted recent changes in the uniforms and weapons of the British Army. The sitters are sometimes identified by name, and are otherwise classified by rank and regiment. Ninety-one of the one hundred are still in the collection today. Apart from those depicting the French Navy in the Musée de la Marine, Paris, these are the only military works by Dubois-Drahonet that are recorded.

In-Pensioner Joseph Peaty of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, wears the uniform of the Chelsea Pensioners; a scarlet coat with blue facings and brass buttons and a black hat and stockings. He holds a walking stick under the hook which has replaced his left hand. The Royal Hospital, Chelsea, was founded in 1682 by Charles II as a retreat for veterans of the Regular Army who had become unfit for duty, either after 20 years' service or as a result of wounds. The provision of a hostel, rather than the introduction of pensions, may have been inspired by the Hotel des Invalides, founded in Paris by Louis XIV in 1670.