Dorothea or Dorothy Bland (1762-1816) began her stage career in Dublin, where she was born. She came to England and made her debut at Drury Lane in the Autumn of 1785. She quickly became a great favourite with the public, playing all the most famous tragic and sentimental roles, as well as the comic ones, in which the leading critics of the day agreed that the excelled. Her private life caused much scandal, owing to her long affair with the Duke of Clarence, later King William IV, by whom she had ten children, all of whom took the name Fitzclarence.

Sittings are noted in the artist's account books for the end of 1786 and beginning of 1787, and four versions of the portrait are recorded. Sir Henry Russell relates the meeting of the artist and his sitter: 'I recollect hearing Romney describe her (Mrs. Jordan), as she came to sit to him for her picture. For some time they could hit upon no attitude that pleased them both; whatever one proposed, the other rejected. At last, Mrs. Jordan, pretending to be tired and to be going away, sprang out of her chair and putting herself into an attitude, and using an expression belonging to her popular part in "The Romp", she said, "Well, I'm a-going". Romney instantly exclaimed, "That will do!" and in that attitude and uttering that expression, he painted her.