Charles Turrell's miniature depicts the Princess of Wales wearing a white dress and veil, diamond necklace, and the diamond tiara given to her by Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), as a wedding present. A variant showing the Princess of Wales in the same position, but with a corsage of lilies, was exhibited RA 1884 (no. 1498). The present miniature is a fine example of Turrell's soft images of female sitters in diaphanous clothes, noted for their fin-de-siècle elegance and charm.

Born in London, Charles Turrell exhibited as a miniature painter at the Royal Academy and Society of Arts 1873 – 1932. He also exhibited at the Paris Salon, and in 1867 visited the USA for the first time, where he painted members of leading families such as those of Pierpont Morgan and Vanderbilt. He made regular visits to the USA thereafter, and died in White Plains, New York, on 13 April 1932.

Signed and dated on the left: C.J. Turrell 1884