Charles Frederick, son of Hereditary Prince Frederick of Baden and Anna of Nassau-Dietz-Orange, ruled as the Margrave of Baden-Durlach from 1746 to 1771 when he inherited Baden-Baden. In 1803 he became Elector of Baden and in 1806 the first Grand-Duke of Baden. He married Caroline of Hesse-Darmstadt in 1751 and had issue. After her death he married Louise Caroline Geyer von Geyersberg, later Freifrau von Hochberg and Gräfin von Hochberg, in 1787. Charles Frederick changed the succession rights to Baden so that King Maximilian I of Bavaria did not inherit and gave the Hochberg family full dynastic rights in Baden and thereby became the Prince and Princess of Baden with the style of Grand Ducal Highness.
In 1786 Hurter executed two pastel portraits of the present sitter, formerly in the Castle of Baden-Baden (see N. Jeffares, Dictionary of Pastellists before 1800, London, 2006, p. 259).