A pencil drawing showing a mountain landscape, possibly executed under the tutelage of WL Leitch. A tree is shown in the foreground to the right, with a lake shown behind. A castle is shown at the edge of the lake to the left, with its reflection shown on the lake's surface. Mountains are shown in the background.

From the age of eight Queen Victoria received regular lessons in drawing and watercolour from professional artists including Richard Westall (1765 – 1836) and Edward Lear (1812 – 88). However, it was the Scottish landscape painter William Leighton Leitch (1804 – 83) with whom she had the most enduring relationship, as he taught her for 22 years. Before teaching Queen Victoria, Leitch had established an impressive reputation as an art tutor, with his pupils including the Duchess of Buccleuch, the Duchess of Sutherland and Queen Victoria’s lady-in-waiting Charlotte Canning.