The circumstances surrounding the execution of this commission are recorded in surviving entries from the artist's diary and in the biographical details set down by his son. The artist had initially been summoned to Buckingham Palace for a sitting with the subject on 21 November 1840. This first sitting was deferred as on that day Queen Victoria gave birth to the Princess Royal, but Tidey recorded several subsequent sittings in November. In late March 1841 Tidey had two more sittings with his subject, and the miniature was finally finished on 6 April and sent to Buckingham Palace for inspection by Queen Victoria. This is a typical example of Tidey's work; the face is well modelled using strong pinks, which are also employed for the outlines of the arms.

Alfred Tidey exhibited miniatures at the Royal Academy 1831 – 57. After his marriage in 1855 he began to concentrate on oil and watercolour portraiture. He lived and worked in Jersey 1863 – 9 and travelled extensively in France, Switzerland, Italy and Germany 1869 – 73. Tidey's connection with the Royal Family stemmed from an introduction to Victoria, Duchess of Kent, in 1834 while they were both in residence at Tunbridge Wells. Soon afterwards Tidey was commissioned to paint the Comptroller of the Duchess's Household, Sir John Conroy (1836) (NPG, London: no. 2175). On 8 May 1841 Tidey was commissioned by Queen Victoria to paint two copies of a sketch of Victoria, Princess Royal, by Sir William Ross. One was given to the Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and the other to Feodora, Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. Having executed the present miniature, Tidey was not called upon to work for the Royal Family again until January 1873 when the Princess Royal invited him to paint herself and her daughter at Wiesbaden where, like the artist and his family, they had spent the winter. The Princess Royal wrote to her mother at the time: 'The name of the artist who painted Vicky is "Mr. Tidey". I hope you will let him show the picture. He is such a good quiet little man' (RA VIC/Z 27/37).

Signed and dated on the reverse: Painted for the Queen / by her Majesty's comman[d] / Alf Tidey. /1841.