A watercolour of a scene from Charles Kean's production of Shakespeare's Richard II, which opened at the Princess's Theatre on 12 March 1857. The scene shown is from Act I, scene one, with Kean as Richard II, John Ryder as Henry Bolingbroke and J. F. Cathcart as Thomas Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk in the Privy Council Chamber at the Place of Westminster. Bolingbroke has thrown down his glove to challenge Mowbray to a duel.

The play was performed for the Royal Household in St George's Hall at Windsor Castle on 5 February 1857, before it opened in London. Queen Victoria thought it was 'a beautiful, interesting tragedy' and visited the Princess's Theatre to see parts of the play again on 16 and 20 March.

This watercolour is mounted in the Theatrical Album, a blue morocco album presented to Queen Victoria by Prince Albert in 1852, into which the queen pasted theatrical watercolours, drawings and photographs until 1861. A small number of further items have been added at the back of the album. Queen Victoria greatly valued the album, of which she wrote to her daughter Victoria 'has been so much admired. I take the g[rea]test. care of it, & do not let it out of my Hands'.