A watercolour drawing of a military review on the Champ de Mars, with lines of troops and soldiers on horseback. On the right, Queen Victoria and the royal party are seated on the balcony of the École Militaire, with fashionably dressed ladies in the viewing stands below.

In August 1855 Queen Victoria and Prince Albert spent ten days in Paris, on the invitation of Napoleon III and his wife Eugénie. The historic state visit was intended to celebrate the military alliance between Britain and France in the Crimean War, and followed a visit by the imperial couple to Windsor in April that year. On 24 August there was a military review of troops on the Champ de Mars, a large open space in front of the École Militaire used for drills and marching. The troops marched for three quarters of an hour. Queen Victoria wrote an extensive journal entry for the day, remarking 'The coup d'oeil on the Champs de Mars was truly magnificent, from 30 to 40,000 men, several rows deep being drawn up there' (24 August 1855).

George Housman Thomas was in Paris during the visit working for the Illustrated London News. Queen Victoria commissioned a painting of the review in 1859 (RCIN 405111). This watercolour, probably based on the drawings he made in Paris, was added by Victoria and Albert to View Album VII at the same time. The royal couple compiled nine View Albums during their marriage. These albums contained watercolours and drawings documenting their life together and were arranged in chronological order. The albums were dismantled in the early twentieth century and rebound in new volumes both in a different arrangement and with additional items, but a written record of their original contents and arrangement still exists.