Ross's sittings for this miniature are not recorded, nor do Queen Victoria's Journal or letters reveal the source upon which Ross drew for the Princess Royal's oriental costume rendered in such meticulous detail. He may have made use of a costume used by the Princess in one of the theatrical dramas laid on by the royal children for their parents. It is also possible that Ross was looking towards the work of orientalist artists such as David Roberts and John Frederick Lewis, whose work had very recently achieved public acclaim. There is certainly no other comparable known work within Ross's oeuvre, making this one of the most striking and unusual of his portraits. It received rapturous reviews when it was exhibited at the RA in the summer of 1851, one critic commenting: 'The miniature has all the best qualities of a beautiful picture – the features are most charming in colour – this is one of the painter's very best productions' (Art Journal, 1851, new series, vol. III, p. 161).

Signed, dated and inscribed on the reverse in ink: Portrait of / Her Royal Highness / The Princess Royal / Painted by Sir W.C. Ross R.A. Minre Painter to / The Queen / 1850.