William Charles Bell trained as an enamel painter in Geneva before securing his first royal commission in March 1850. From then onwards, he was employed constantly by Queen Victoria for almost 50 years, painting enamel miniatures, often copied after Franz Xaver Winterhalter's oil portraits, for her own collection and for distribution as gifts. His enamels were usually smaller than those by Henry Pierce Bone, William Essex or John Simpson, whose services she had previously employed, and many were set into items of jewellery, particularly Maid of Honour brooches. Queen Victoria's last payment to Bell, in July 1899, was for '6 Miniatures on Gold for Maid of Honour brooches'. Owing to his advanced years, the Queen then gave him no further work but awarded him an annual pension of £20.

The enamel is based on a photograph by an unidentified photographer showing Pedro V three-quarter-length, standing, resting his hand on his sword hilt. The photograph in the Royal Photograph Collection is inscribed in Queen Victoria's hand with the date 1861, the year in which the young king, like Prince Albert, prematurely died of typhoid (RCIN 2906918).

Signed and inscribed on the counter-enamel in black paint: Don Pedro V. King of Portugal. / (born 16 Sept r 1837) / 1861. / by W. C. Bell after a photograph