A watercolour depicting a scene in Queens Victoria's cabin on board the yacht "Victoria and Albert" when King Louis-Philippe and the French Royal family took leave of Victoria and Albert, who had been their guests at the Château d'Eu 2-7 September 1843. Signed at bottom right: Fx Winterhalter.

In September 1843 Queen Victoria travelled abroad for the first time, visiting Louis-Philippe, King of the French, at the château d’Eu in Normandy. This was a visit of great historical significance, being the first time a British sovereign had visited France since the meeting of Henry VIII and Francis I in 1520 (known as the Field of the Cloth of Gold). When Louis-Philippe made a reciprocal visit to Windsor the following year he brought with him a sumptuous album of watercolours as a gift for Victoria, of which this was one. Painted by leading French artists (Winterhalter was German but had his studio in Paris), the watercolours illustrated events that took place during the visit and the rooms Victoria and Albert occupied at Eu.

Winterhalter was the premier portraitist in the mid-nineteenth century at many of the major European courts, working for those of London, Paris, Belgium, Berlin, Vienna, Madrid and St Petersburg, amongst others. He painted over 100 portraits for Queen Victoria and her extended family; the Queen esteemed him especially for his ability to capture a likeness, and the elegance, romance and naturalism of his works.