Sophia (1778-1835) was the eldest daughter of Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. In 1804, she married Emanuel, Count of Mensdorff-Pouilly, and she was the aunt of both Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. In 1830, she published a collection of fairy tales, Mährchen und Erzählungen (Tales and Stories). Miniature portraits of her sisters, Antoinette and Juliana, are also in the Royal Collection (RCIN 420806 and 420588).

The miniature was painted when Sophia was about 19 years old. It is very similar to a stipple engraving by Carl Herman Pfeiffer (1769-1829), published in Nurnberg in 1797. As Pfeiffer was both an engraver and a miniaturist it is possible that he may have painted this portrait himself. He was born in Frankfurt but settled in Vienna, working mainly as an engraver of portraits by other Austrian miniaturists.

Inscribed on the back in pencil: Sophia.