Winterhalter was born in the Black Forest where he was encouraged to draw at school. In 1818 he went to Freiburg to study under Karl Ludwig Schüler and then moved to Munich in 1823, where he attended the Academy and studied under Josef Stieler, a fashionable portrait painter. Winterhalter was first brought to the attention of Queen Victoria by the Queen of the Belgians and subsequently painted numerous portraits at the English court from 1842 till his death.

Princess Mary Adelaide, Queen Victoria's cousin, was the youngest of the three children of Adolphus Frederick, Duke of Cambridge (1774–1850), son of George III, and his wife, Princess Augusta (1797–1889). In 1866 she married Prince Francis of Teck and she became known as a great philanthropist, giving away at least 20 per cent of her annual allowance of £5,000 granted by parliament. The many charities she supported included Dr Barnardo's, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and the St John Ambulance Association. She recorded her 'picture done by Winterhalter … during our stay at Windsor. It is considered an excellent likeness, and gave Papa great pleasure'.

Signed and dated : [F] Winterhalter / 1846