The sitter was one of the first female actors on the English stage and was famously praised by Samuel Pepys for her comic performances. Her relationship with King Charles II began afer he saw her perform on stage. She bore him two sons and she received an annuity of £1,500 after the King's death.
William Bate was Painter in Enamel to Princess Elizabeth (1770-1840) and Frederick Duke of York (1763-1827), children of King George III and Queen Charlotte. Other portrait miniatures by him are at the National Gallery, Dublin.