As a result of England's growing prosperity during the nineteenth century there was an increasing demand for official portraits, the painterly trophies of political, social and domestic achievement. James Sant, one of the most prolific portraitists of the Victorian period, flourished on this surge of patronage from the wealthy families of his day and in 1872, was appointed Painter-in-Ordinary to Queen Victoria. This portrait profile was painted early in the artist’s career. In 1840 he exhibited a family portrait of Mr. William Sant at the Royal Academy, the first of some 300 works which he exhibited throughout his life. Besides his official portraiture, James Sant painted many literary and allegorical works inspired by writers such as Charles Dickens(1) and Shakespeare. His painting of Rosalind from As You Like It is now owned by Tate Britain. 1. For example his Oliver Twist `He walks to London' painted in 1890.