Annie Dixon was born in Horncastle in 1817, and worked as a portrait miniaturist in Hull, the Isle of Wight and London until the last decade of the nineteenth century. From 1859, when she undertook her first royal commission (420351), she enjoyed great favour with Queen Victoria, partly on account of her skill in painting children, but also undoubtedly because of her pleasingly moderate prices. Her skill was sufficient for her to sustain a long and successful career in miniature painting at a time when many other practitioners suffered from the competition posed by the new art of photography.

This is a particularly charming and accomplished early work by Annie Dixon, this miniature shows Princess Clotilde in the Hungarian costume she wore to the Children's Fancy Dress Ball at Buckingham Palace, held to celebrate the sixth birthday of Prince Leopold on 7 April 1859.

Princess Clotilde was the third child and eldest daughter of Prince Augustus of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and Princess Clémentine, daughter of Louis-Philippe, King of the French. She married, in 1864, Archduke Joseph of Austria (1833 – 1905) with whom she had two sons and five daughters.

Dated on the obverse in grey paint: 7 th April / 1859. The reverse was formerly inscribed: Painted by A. Dixon. 1859. and Portrait of Princess Clotilde of Saxe Coburg although this is no longer visible beneath the backing.