At a social gathering in the home of Robert and Elizabeth Browning on the evening of 27 September 1855, Rossetti made an impromptu sketch of Alfred Tennyson reading one of his favourite poems, 'Maud'. The drawing was offered to his hosts as a gift, but not until Rossetti had made at least two copies of it: one was done for Elizabeth Siddal, and this is the second. According to William Michael Rossetti, Tennyson was unaware that Rossetti was drawing his portrait.